His Greatest Christmas Gift

The spotlight then focused on the elaborately decorated Christmas tree with every decoration shimmering with unusual beauty. Then the spotlight moved to center stage as the curtain was slowly drawn aside to reveal three lovely young musicians, all in glistening white evening gowns—a harpist, a cello player, and a violinist. Together with the organ the beautiful harmony of their music brought tears to many eyes.

The harpist played so exceptionally well that at the close of the evening Dr. Loomis waited to congratulate her.

As he sat alone waiting, a lady came running down the aisle and with outstretched arms excitedly cried out, "You saw her. You must have recognized your baby. That was my daughter who played the harp—I saw you watching her. Don't you remember the little girl who was born with only one good leg 17 years ago? We tried everything else first, but now she has a whole artificial leg on that side—but you would never know it, would you? She can walk, she can swim, and she can almost dance.

"But, best of all, through all those years when she couldn't do those things, she learned to use her hands so wonderfully ... She is so happy ... And here she is!"

And then they met ... Instinctively Dr. Loomis reached out and embraced the one whose life he came so close to destroying before she had a chance to live.

"You will never know, my dear," he said, "you never will know, nor will anyone else in all the world, just what tonight has meant to me. Go back to your harp for a moment, please—and play ‘Silent Night' for me alone. I have a load on my shoulders that no one has ever seen, a load that only you can take away."1

How precious is the gift of life. There is only one gift that is greater—that is the gift of eternal life.

As the years went on, I blamed
myself bitterly for not having had the
strength to yield to my temptation.

Some time ago one of my sons was upset with me about something. What I did I have long since forgotten but I will never forget what he said. In his frustration he blurted out, "Why did you have me anyhow?"

I paused for a moment and then replied from the depths of my heart, "Because you were part of God's eternal plan."

And that is true of you and me also. From the moment we were conceived in our mother's womb, God knew us by name. And we, too, are a part of his eternal plan. But at our birth only God could see our handicap. We were deformed, too—not physically perhaps—but spiritually. Because of our sinful nature, we were born spiritually dead and cut off from God—the giver of all life. But because we were so precious to and so loved by him, he sent his Son, Jesus, on that first Christmas to come to earth to die in our place for our sins, to deliver us from eternal death, and to give to us the greatest gift of all—the gift of eternal life. God has this gift for you, too. Whatever you do, don't leave earth without it. There could be no greater tragedy.

Note: If you would like to accept God's gift of forgiveness and eternal life, click on the "God's Invitation" button link below for a prayer to help you do this.

1. Adapted from Christmas in My Heart, Book 2, by Joe L. Wheeler. Herald Publishing Association, 55 W. Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740, U.S.A.

Continued on Page Three Back to Page One


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