Don’t miss the greatest event in history

I recently read a story about a mother and her son with a remarkable message. The story goes that 10-year-old Charlie was out of school for the Christmas and his family decided to spend the holidays in the country.

The boy pressed his nose against the bay window of their vacation home and marveled at the British winter they were experiencing. He was happy to trade the blackened streets of London for the white freshness of the snow covered hills in the country.

His mother asked him to go for a ride and he quickly accepted. She steered the car slowly down the twisted road, the tires crunching the snow as they drove. The boy puffed his breath on the car’s window. He was thrilled, but his mother was a bit anxious.

She could tell this was more than a normal storm. Heavy snowfall came down. Visibility lessened and as she went around a curve the car started to slide. It didn’t stop until it was in a ditch.

The mother tried to drive out of the ditch, but she couldn’t do it. Young Charlie pushed and she pressed the gas pedal. They were just digging themselves in deeper. The two were stuck and needed help. They remembered seeing a house a mile back down the road and started walking. Drudging through the cold winter weather, they reached the front door and knocked.

A woman opened the door of her home to the mother and son, welcoming them to come inside and warm themselves. She offered them tea and cookies. Invited them to use her phone to call for help and stay until that help arrived.

Most people would think this was an ordinary event; but not the woman who welcomed the mother and son into her house. She has never forgotten that day. Who could blame her? It’s not often that royalty comes to your door.

As Paul Harvey tells the “rest of the story,” the two travelers stranded in the snowstorm were no less than the Queen of England and the heir to the British throne, ten-year-old Charles.

This woman’s experience reminds me of the Christmas story. Over 2,000 years ago in the little town of Bethlehem the King of kings and Lord of lords was born in a stable on the outskirts of town. Neither the innkeeper, the people lodging with him and the townspeople realized one of the greatest events in history happened nearby.

The Prince of Peace came down from heaven to become one of us. John 1:11 tells us, “He came to His own (His world, His creation) and His own did not receive Him.”

After the angelic hosts announced His birth to the shepherds in the fields watching their flocks at night, they went with haste to see the Christ-child. “When they had seen him, they made widely known the saying with has told them concerning this Child,” (Luke 2:17 NKJ). They never forgot that night. I imagine they told their experience over and over to anyone who would listen.

I trust that you and your family will recognize, and receive, the King of Glory this Christmas. He is the reason for the season!

Jan White is a wife, mother, and freelance writer who lives in Andalusia. Her email address is [email protected].