We all like to go on vacations and stay at fancy hotels. The huge rooms with a gorgeous view, fuzzy towels and fancy furniture. Plus the wine and chocolates and the mints on the pillows. We all like to be pampered. There is nothing wrong with that once in a while.

And then there are the quiet places, when you use what you have and make it work. I can only imagine Mary going through labor and trying to find a quiet place to have her baby in between contractions. What do you think she said to Joseph during labor?

Do you think she was calm and collected? Maybe she waited in the lobby while Joseph went to the Inn Keeper to see if there was room at the Inn. She might have said, “Honey, Sweet Husband, please find me a place to have our baby,” in her sweet Mary voice.

No, I don’t think so. I have had four kids and labor was not a cake walk.  There was groaning, screaming, and a few words I can’t print here, lol! Maybe Mary was anxious and screaming during contractions, “If you don’t find me a bed, I am going to have this kid right here in the middle of the street!” Yep, that sounds more true.

Can you imagine her reaction when Joseph told her there was no rom at the Inn? I wonder what she said then, lol! I’m sure the panic set in and the scrambling to find a place to have her baby. We have all been there. The jumping off place, in between a rock and a hard place with no idea what to do next.

That’s when God steps in. I bet Mary heard God in her spirit, and Joseph too – they remembered what God had told them already. God had sent her an Angel in the beginning:

 Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”  But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was.  The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.  He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;  and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” – Luke 1:26-33 

So Mary knew that she would give birth to a son and call him Jesus! This kid was going to be born, and quickly. God knew what He was doing. He told us in the Old Testament what would happen:

 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Listen carefully, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call his name Immanuel (God with us). – Isaiah 7:14 

Can you imagine Joseph? Wife in labor, no place to have the baby at the Inn. I’m sure God directed him to the stable. In times of crisis, we look around and get very creative. As the protector of the family, I can see him taking Mary’s hand and leading her into the stable. At this point, I can imagine Mary just looking for somewhere soft to sit down. It was a long walk for them to get to Bethlehem, not to mention going into labor once they got there!

The straw looked good – a soft quiet place to sit and rest. I’ll bet Joseph grabbed the Manger and put in fresh straw. He probably took off his outer robe and helped Mary get comfortable. Then it was time for Baby Jesus to be born! As baby Jesus was born into the world, God in flesh, it had to be Joseph who got to deliver him. Can you imagine cutting the umbilical cord of Jesus? Knowing this was God? Wow, what a moment.

I wonder what kind of animals were there to witness the birth? I’m thinking there were donkeys and sheep. There are tons of cards out there, all with different pictures. Either way, they were there too. What a magnificent sight. In the quiet of the night the Savior of the World was born in a stable.

What about you? Are you an Inn kind of person or a stable kind of person? I like the quiet places to meet my Lord. I never was much for crowds anyway.

Let’s all take some time and baske in the presence of the Lord this Christmas. Let’s meet Him with awe and wonder in the quiet, just like the stable. Let’s get adventurous and look for God in all the places we wouldn’t expect Him! I’ll bet He is way bigger than a building anyway. Who knows what could happen next?