And Joseph came to the city of Bethlehem, looking for a room for him and Mary, to rest after their travels. But there was no room at the inn. No room with a friend, no room with family, and the inns were full. But one innkeeper did say that there was room in the manger.
It would not seem a fitting place, a manger, packed in with the asses and what they leave. Not for the future King of Kings, who would later receive gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold. Not even for the child of a respected carpenter, an honorable middle-class profession. It was not much.
But it was enough to keep a very pregnant woman warm. It was a roof over their heads, and hay that was softer than the ground in mid-winter, and easy access to water.
It was much better than nothing. It was much better than saying that he could not help, and that he had no room at all. I hope that that innkeeper, if he became a Christian, felt proud. I hope he recognized that he offered something, even if it wasn’t much, and that was more than others had, and it was something that mattered. He may have regretted that he did not give more, but I hope he was proud that he gave what he had.
There are three important things I take away from the story of the manger. The first is YIMBYism, obviously.
The second is that it is good to offer what you can, even if it’s not much, just as you appreciate when people share the best of what they have with you. I don’t have a guest room for my friends and acquaintances, but I do have an air mattress that they’re always welcome to. If you can’t offer what you’d like to, you can still offer something. I think this is a particularly important point for people in their 20s, not able to live up to their parents’ standards for hosting. Let people crash on your couch. Offer to bring a tupperware meal to new parents you know. It’s good to help people in your community, even if you can’t do everything. Little bits help, close to home and far away.
And the final and most important point is that a good roof matters. There are people without them, in the world, right now. Metal roofs are one of the most common things people buy with money from Give Directly. If you want to put a roof over someone’s head, you can do that. You can click this link, and send money.
A house in Rwanda costs about $600. Give Directly has other donors who cover all of their operational costs: your money just goes to someone who could use it. And so I want to ask you if you have a little room in your budget, to help someone else have a room.
And Joseph came to the city of Bethlehem, looking for a room for him and Mary, to rest after their travels. But there was no room at the inn. No room with a friend, no room with family, and the inns were full. But one innkeeper did say that there was room in the manger.
It would not seem a fitting place, a manger, packed in with the asses and what they leave. Not for the future King of Kings, who would later receive gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold. Not even for the child of a respected carpenter, an honorable middle-class profession. It was not much.
But it was enough to keep a very pregnant woman warm. It was a roof over their heads, and hay that was softer than the ground in mid-winter, and easy access to water.
It was much better than nothing. It was much better than saying that he could not help, and that he had no room at all. I hope that that innkeeper, if he became a Christian, felt proud. I hope he recognized that he offered something, even if it wasn’t much, and that was more than others had, and it was something that mattered. He may have regretted that he did not give more, but I hope he was proud that he gave what he had.
There are three important things I take away from the story of the manger. The first is YIMBYism, obviously.
The second is that it is good to offer what you can, even if it’s not much, just as you appreciate when people share the best of what they have with you. I don’t have a guest room for my friends and acquaintances, but I do have an air mattress that they’re always welcome to. If you can’t offer what you’d like to, you can still offer something. I think this is a particularly important point for people in their 20s, not able to live up to their parents’ standards for hosting. Let people crash on your couch. Offer to bring a tupperware meal to new parents you know. It’s good to help people in your community, even if you can’t do everything. Little bits help, close to home and far away.
And the final and most important point is that a good roof matters. There are people without them, in the world, right now. Metal roofs are one of the most common things people buy with money from Give Directly. If you want to put a roof over someone’s head, you can do that. You can click this link, and send money.
A house in Rwanda costs about $600. Give Directly has other donors who cover all of their operational costs: your money just goes to someone who could use it. And so I want to ask you if you have a little room in your budget, to help someone else have a room.