“Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings,favored woman! The Lord is with you!”Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.”

There was a time when an unexpected person at the door was welcomed.  It might be a neighbor stopping by to say hi!  At work it could be a customer or vendor who was in the area and just wanted to stop and catch up.  We made time and room for them as their visit felt like someone was going out of their way to reach to us.  Somewhere along the way, that all changed.  Imagine now the thoughts that go through our mind when the doorbell rings or we are told that someone is downstairs to see us without an appointment.  Where does our mind go?  Not to where they once did and I doubt that we are going back, that is unless we decide consciously to do so.  When someone drops by our office or cubicle today just to talk or catch up, how will we respond?  We can make a little room and time for them, or we can shut them out and keep on with what we have in front of us.  We have the choice.

Yesterday, I wrote of making room and space for Christ in the Advent Season.  That we must do, but at the same time we can do the same by making room and time for others during this Christmas time.  Someone is hurting, lonely, down on their luck, struggling and just might need someone to talk to, or to just sit and share a coffee.  Let’s try to look at the unexpected visitors over the next month as ones who are sent to us for a purpose.

Reference: Luke 1:28-30 (New Living Translation)