The White Christmas

Two men sat in a pew at church. One prayed to the Lord, “God, give us a white Christmas this year. The beauty of the snow You send always reminds me of the glory of Your son who came to save us from our sins.”

The other man prayed, “O merciful Lord, do not let it snow this Christmas. So many of Your people are homeless this year, and I do not want them to freeze or suffer. The mercy You show to the poor always reminds me of the glory of Your son who came to save us from our sins.”

On Christmas there was snow. Not because the Lord cared more for the first man’s prayers, nor because He did not want to show mercy to the poor and homeless. The Lord allowed it to snow because the snow would bring out the best in both men.

For if the snow did not come, the first man would not feel close to God, and the second man would stay home forgetting about the poor. But because it did snow, the first man felt the sense of peace and holiness he desired, and the poor were shown mercy when the second man went out in the cold to care for the homeless.