Stable Condition

It was a quiet, brisk, clear night. One could look up and see stars millions of miles away. The travelers had to make the best of an adverse situation. The tired couple needed a place to rest for the night. The accommodations they ended up with were far from the best because of the bustling activity in the city. There were seemingly no rooms to be found anywhere. It had been a long journey for them. He had tried to make his wife as comfortable as possible given the circumstances, but it was a losing battle. He felt so helpless. He hated that feeling. He just didn’t want to leave her home alone while he made this one last business trip. He had hoped after the conclusion of his agenda they could spend some real quality time together.  The ride had been a slow, bumpy one and his bride was visibly agitated. He had wanted to go a little further until she shrieked in horror. “Joe, we’ve got to stop now, this baby is coming soon!”, she yelled.   Of course, He started to panic.  He had just passed a small mom & pop motel, so he quickly made a u-turn; obviously agitating her more, and headed in the opposite direction.  He pulled in the parking lot and ran inside.  Of course they were booked solid as well, and the fire in his belly rose to a fever pitch.  “Look Buddy!”, he shouted.  “My wife is going to have a baby right in this lobby if you don’t come up with something! Think, man!  The clerk paused for a moment, then said “Follow me.”  Joe followed the clerk to the rear entrance, through it, and out to a wooden structure that looked like a stable of some kind.  “This is all I’ve got, sir.  It’s on the house.”  Joe was halfway around the front of the building before he realized what the clerk had said. He wanted to give a discourse of choice words but thought better.  As they made their way to their makeshift quarters, another contraction hit her. “AWHG!! How excruciating the sound to her husband who had no idea of the real pain she bore.  He made a bed of hay for her and placed a couple blankets on them for his espoused wife. There was no midwife to call. There were no cell phones or pay phones. There was no directory listings available. And even if there were, there was no time.  And she brought forth her first-born son. How beautiful was this child. The Holy One, Son of the Most High God. He would be called Jesus, Emanuel, God with us. Mary recalled the angel’s message and wept with joy. There was no receiving blanket and no incubator. The child’s earthly father prepared a feeding trough, filled with hay, wrapped the child in strips of cloth to keep him warm and laid him there.    What a place for one who would be King. But the Father would have it no other way. Although homeless and without at His entrance into the matrix of the earth realm;  this child’s influence would be world renown and millions would come to know Him as Savior and Lord. The Lamb of Love…For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son…   Love…The  Special Gift that keeps on giving. Thank you Father for your unconditional love for us all.