As I was planning what I was going to say in this year’s Christmas blog post, my grandmother handed me a Christmas letter to read. It was written by a lady from the church in which I was raised. After reading it, I knew I had to share it with you all. Have a blessed Christmas!
“White Christmas” Perhaps you’ve heard it said, “Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.” Back in December of 1989, I prayed for a “white” Christmas. God must have heard my earnest prayer because He opened up the windows of heaven and poured out a blizzard. For a couple of days, the wind howled and the snow fell and fell and fell. When the sky finally cleared, eastern North Carolina was buried under 18 inches of snow with drifts 4 to 5 feet deep. Snow wasn’t the only thing that fell. The temperature plummeted to the single digits and stayed that way for days; and, as a result, the snow stayed around for what seemed to be forever. Needless to say, I learned my lesson. I told the Lord that if I ever asked for a white Christmas again, please don’t listen. The blizzard of 1989 taught me another valuable lesson. From the snow, I learned that when it comes to righteousness, “our” best just isn’t good enough. Let me explain. When the snow quit falling and the sun came out, I decided to wash a load of bed linens. As I took the sheets from the washer and placed them in the clothes basket, I admired how clean and white they were. Once I hung them on the line, however, I was shocked at how dirty my sheets were compared to the pristine snow. Immediately Isaiah 64:6 came to mind: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all OUR righteousnesses are as filthy rags…” It was at that moment that the Lord reminded me why He sent His Son to this earth. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.” The truth of the matter is we have all sinned and we are all powerless to save ourselves. We can’t work our way into God’s good graces; our best efforts at righteousness just aren’t good enough. We need a Savior. More precisely, we need Jesus. As composer Robert Lowry penned, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh! Precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Our sins are washed away! Our hearts made pure and white as snow! Now that’s the kind of “white” Christmas I’m wishing for this year. (Lord, I’m asking You for a “white” Christmas of a spiritual kind. And Lord, we need more than a light dusting, we need a blizzard!) Merry Christmas and God’s richest blessings in the New Year! “And may all your Christmases be white.” – Jeri Broughton
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