Jesus was born in a manger because there was no room for Him in the inn. There was simply no room for the Savior of the world in an inn, so His mother gave birth to Him among animals. Sometimes I judge the inn keeper – my head says, “seriously, the woman was giving birth to the most important ever, couldn’t you make room?” And then I remember how much I have in common with the inn keeper. Looking back at him, it’s easy to say that he should have made space, but I often crowd Jesus out of my life. I say, through my words and behavior, that there’s simply no space in my day, or in my future plans for Him.

This does not mean that the things I spend my time with, or my plans for the future aren’t good things. The guests at the inn weren’t bad people, they just weren’t God. I so easily choose watching a DVD, spending time on Facebook, having a cool conversation, or working out over God. I cram my schedule so full that there’s simply no room for Jesus. And then I wonder why I feel so far from Him. I’m not discrediting the valleys of faith – or saying that God doesn’t work in dark seasons, I’d be the hugest hypocrite in the world, just ask me about my fall, but the truth is, He’s going to feel far when I keep Him at a distance. If I truly claim that Jesus Christ is not only my Savior, but also the Lord of my life, He deserves the best room in my inn, even if that means kicking something else out (those things that get kicked out are often referred to as idols). Yes, Jesus had to be born in a manger in order to fulfill thousand year old prophesies, but He was also born there because an inn keeper failed to see His importance. He failed to make space for Him because other things were more important. And so do I.