No Room

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

-Luke 2:7 ESV

Have you ever experienced a stressful situation while traveling?

Last month I was driving to my parent’s house with my children in the car when I got a flat tire. I was just getting off the highway when my car alerted me that my tire pressure was low. At first, I wasn’t worried because this had happened before, and I was able to get it pumped back up easily from 20 something to 30 something when I got home. However, I began to feel the stress when I saw my tire pressure fall at a much faster rate than expected. 22, 18, 15, 13, 10, 8, 5, 3.

Once my tire pressure got to 5, I was in full panic mode! I decided not to pull over because it was late, dark and rainy outside. I was determined to make it to my parent’s house. I let my two boys know what was going on and then I began to pray out loud asking God to keep us safe as I continued to drive slowly with my tire pressure at 3.

Soon my children joined me, and they prayed asking God to help us make it to grandma and papas house. We finally made it safely and I let out a breath. Thank you, LORD! I was not expecting to have such a stressful drive to my parent’s house and yet God was with us the entire time. Looking back on it now, I can laugh about a flat tire and how worried I got. But in the moment, I was not laughing.

I imagine this may have been what it was like for Mary and Joseph as they traveled to Bethlehem. The inability to find an inn was inconvenient and most likely stressful for the both of them as Mary was in labor. And yet God was with them the entire time! God was with Mary both physically and spiritually. He was literally in her womb, but He was also with her in the journey.

I think we have a tendency to look at situations like this and label it “bad luck.” Some people might even joke that God is messing with them or that the universe is punishing them. We tend to overthink our traveling troubles because of how annoying they are in the moment. God was not punishing Mary, and she was not unlucky, quite the opposite actually.

“God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

-Luke 1:26-28

Mary was blessed by God and He was with her. Even when Joseph had a hard time believing, God was with her. Even when traveling while pregnant was difficult, God was with her. Even when they could not find a place to stay in Bethlehem, God was with her. Even when they had to escape to Egypt for safety, God was with her. Mary encountered a lot of stressful and scary situations in her journey and yet God was still with her the entire time. God’s love for her was not based on her circumstances.

I don’t know what your Christmas will look like. Maybe you’ll make it to your destination with no problems and have a wonderful celebration with your family. Or maybe you’ll get a flat tire, arrive late, find out your flight got canceled, burn the turkey or get stuck at home with sick kids. Wherever you find yourself this Christmas, don’t get discouraged. God is still with you, even when you’re stuck on the side of the highway, even when you’re stuck in an airport, even when there is no more room in the Inn. God is still with you, and he loves you!

Mary experienced all kinds of problems on her journey and yet she still had the best Christmas ever because God was with her. And she had the privilege of looking into His eyes literally as she saw Jesus for the very first time.

Jesus wants you to look into His eyes this Christmas. Seek His face! And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

No matter what happens to you this Christmas, remember that God is still with you, and He loves you deeply! His love for you is not based on your circumstances but on who he is!

And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

-Isaiah 9:6