No Vacancy ~ by robin moroney

“She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7

Ok, I have to fess up . . . Being joyful at Christmas is a challenge for me. I’m annoyed because it’s too darn cold to go outside. I’m annoyed because I haven’t seen the sun since, like Nixon was president. I want to scream at the 5000 people who are all crammed into Target at the same time I am and who can’t seem to understand that parking their shopping carts in the middle of the aisle impedes my progress. And what really annoys me is when I get stuck behind every Pokey Pete on the road who thinks it’s their civic duty to get in front of me and go 10 miles per hour UNDER the speed limit. I’m ashamed to admit it but I’m Little Miss Cranky Pants this time of year.

I bet the innkeepers in Bethlehem were Mr. & Mrs. Cranky Pants on that very special day of Jesus’ birth. I can only imagine what it was like on that night with all those extra people in town all at one time. I can imagine how frazzled and frustrated the innkeepers were when people kept coming to the door and all their rooms were already filled. “No room! No room! No room!” then the door was slammed shut. I wonder if the innkeepers who turned Mary and Joseph away ever found out that they had shut the door on Jesus? I wonder if they realized that they had said “No room at this inn” to the Savior?

The Bible tells us that through the Holy Spirit, Jesus lives within each of us. Inside us. In our hearts and in our souls. So, in essence, when we don’t have time for Jesus, we are telling Him that we have no room in our inn for Him. When we are frustrated and frazzled with all the things we think we have to do at Christmas, we leave little room for Jesus. And when we allow Satan to tell us that Christmas isn’t about Christ at all, we are telling Jesus that we have no room at the inn for Him.

Satan is hard at work in a very big way this time of year. Have you noticed that the “season” is getting longer and longer? This year the stores put out Christmas decorations right after Halloween. And the radio stations have been playing Christmas songs since Thanksgiving. Seriously!? How many ways can you sing “O Holy Night” or “Jingle Bells?” In my opinion, the longer we extend the Christmas season, the more it becomes just that ~ a season. It is no longer a celebration of a day ~ which happens to be the most important day ever. Satan wants to make all of us believe that this time of year has nothing to do with Christ.

Not only has the season gotten longer, and therefore, making it just a season. But we no longer have Christmas trees. They are holiday trees. And companies no longer have Christmas parties. They have holiday parties. And don’t you dare put a nativity out in public because that would violate that whole separation of church and state thing. People are even afraid to say “Merry Christmas” because we might offend someone. Certain people (I have no idea who these people are) want us to say “Happy Holidays” and “Season’s Greetings.” That’s not what December 25th is all about, though. It’s all about Christ and His birthday. It’s not about a season. It’s about our Savior’s very, very special day.

Satan has convinced our society that Christmas isn’t Christmas at all and that it has nothing to do with Jesus. In the spirit of complete acceptance of everyone and every belief, Satan is being allowed to push Jesus right out of our hearts and our minds during the most important time of the year. And when we allow Satan to do this, we are telling Jesus, “Sorry, there’s no room at the inn for You.”

I realized this week that all the things about the Christmas season that annoy me the most have one thing in common. They are all about ME. I am so focused on what I need to get; what I need to accomplish; how quickly I can get it done; how am I going to find the time to do all these things; get out of MY way; stop slowing ME down. There seems to be plenty of room at my inn for ME. Which means there is no room for Jesus. When I allow Satan to manipulate me into thinking that I have to get all these things done or Christmas will be ruined, then the sign at the entrance to my heart says “No Vacancy Jesus.”

My challenge, is to stop letting Satan convince me that this is a holiday season meant for running around like a crazy person to get it all done. And my deepest desire is to stop letting Satan convince me that Christmas is all about me and not about Christ. So when the Pokey Pete’s get in my way on the highway and when I get annoyed at the people standing in the middle of the aisle at Target, I will stop and ask Jesus to step into my heart so there is no room for anything else but Him.

How about you? During this magical and miraculous time of year, will the sign at the entrance to your inn say “No Vacancy?” Or will you open the door wide and invite Jesus into your celebration?

Remember: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Precious Jesus, please forgive me for not making room for You in my inn. Thank You so much for coming to earth to save each of us and for dwelling within us through the Holy Spirit. Help me to always remember that this is not about a “season.” But that it’s all about You and Your love for us. Thank You for desiring to be a part of our lives. And happy birthday to YOU!!!  ~robin