Today, I'd like to show you a picture that could have been ...

On a hillside he sits, alone in a crowd,

his tears sketch a picture of gloom.

On his heart there’s an old heavy burden

‘cause his mind is forever replaying

the words he remembers saying

those terrible words, “There’s no room.”

Yes, he offered his stable, the manger and hay,

but he gave not his best to the Savior that day,

and he fears that the Father in heaven will say

those same awful words

“There’s no room.”

On that hillside he sits, still alone, still remembering

The crowd is silent and still - the Master is speaking

of the love of the Father and the hope He can give.

Christ knows of the man’s heavy burden,

the crippling fear and the heartache,

so He  looks at that man as He utters

those beautiful words

“I forgive.”

I’m the one who was born in your stable that day

when my mother and Joseph had nowhere to stay.

You gave safety and warmth with the shelter and hay.

Without knowing the outcome 

“You made room.”

You made room in your stable and room in your heart.

Small acts can have great value too.

Go home and be comforted - cast guilt aside,

and remember how much I love you.

There are rooms in God’s mansion and room in his heart,

in a place to refresh and renew.

God offered that room

when He gave his own Son

to be born and to die just for you.

Peace and forgiveness, comfort and love, are yours 

because

Jesus was born 2000 years ago

and He lives eternally. 

Peace and Forgiveness are such beautiful words.  I can’t begin to think about Christmas without thinking about the forgiveness and love that Jesus brought to the world.  It’s so personal to me.

Of course, if you read the Bible's account of the birth of Jesus, you won't find this story there.  You won't even find a reference to the innkeeper.  But I found this story in my heart, in my imagination.  Most likely because it could have been.  

The innkeeper is a person who, in my imagination, carries with him all of the worry and guilt that so many of us harbor in our minds and hearts.  He tells himself all of the things he thinks he should have known - he should have done.  

We do that sometimes – the “should haves” hold us captive.  We know that the good that we do is not good enough.  We spend our time in gloom.  Our minds are continually replaying our past and believing that even the small good things we have done are not pleasing to God.  

The innkeeper in this story did something good.  Maybe his heart wasn’t totally in it.  Maybe he knew that he really should have been more caring.  So he continually beat himself up over the fact that it was such a small thing to do.

We forget that we don’t have a right to harbor unforgiveness in our hearts, for other people but also for ourselves.  If God can forgive us, can we believe our standards are higher than his?  

We can be comforted by the fact that there is room in God’s heart for us.  God will never say, “no room.”  

Jesus said; 

“ 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…. I will come back and take you with me.”

(John 14:2)