Room at the Inn

 

My daughter taught me something about the Christmas Story I didn’t know.

Turns out Jesus wasn’t turned away from a Holiday Inn (I did know that!). 

The “inn” was likely a family guest room based on the Greek root word.

It was the front room where family and friends could sleep.

And the JST clarifies that it was multiple inns. 

Which means the Savior of the world was born in a stable after Mary and Joseph were not only rejected by strangers but family. 

More than once.

Let that sit with you for a second.

No space.

No comfort.

No soft landing.

No women helping a young Mary through her first childbirth. 

Just a feeding trough where the animals stayed.

So if you’ve ever felt like there wasn’t room for you at the table…

If family felt full but your heart felt empty…

If you were pushed to the margins while others got the guest room…

You’re in very holy company.

Jesus didn’t enter the world through warmth and applause.

He arrived through inconvenience, rejection, and the quiet ache of being unaccommodated.

And somehow—this is the miracle—God chose that place.

The messy place.

The overlooked place.

The “we’ll make do” place.

If you’re feeling lonely this season, remember:

The Savior knows what it’s like to be born where there was no room—

and He still calls that place holy ground.

And there’s always room for you in His story.