Making Room

As we reflect on Jesus coming into our world I’m reminded how, right from the start, there was no room made for Him.

In Luke 2:6-7 we’re told…

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

Jesus came into a “no room” world yet his whole reason for coming was to “make room” for all!

From the moment he was born, Jesus’ life was threatened and rejected. He was unwelcome and undervalued.

The words from Isaiah 53 that speak of him being “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering…” don’t just speak of his death, but also the atmosphere around his birth and early years. And yet, how amazing and beautiful that the Christ child had intentionally come to make room for a world that would not make room for Him. Even throughout his adult years, Jesus faced constant rejection and hatred, and yet his message to humanity was unrelenting and unchanging – “I have more than enough room for you.”

He made room for the marginalised, oppressed, displaced and despised. He made room for despised tax collectors like Zacchaeus and Levi. He made room for the ignored and marginalised like the woman at the well, or Mary who sat at his feet. He made room for child and for the childlike. His example should be a great challenge and personal conviction as we seek to follow Him, and lead others.

On the night Jesus was born, there was no room for him. Yet on the night before Jesus was crucified, he told his disciples this: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

Thank God that Jesus came to make room for us all – to make a way for us to receive His life, and follow His lead. Thank God that Jesus made a way for us as women leaders to be received and welcomed as partners in His good news.

This season, as we reflect on this beautiful truth, may we chew over these questions:
How can you make room for Jesus in your life?
How can you make more room for those you lead?

Why not chew these over in prayer and discussion with others?