Sambo was a big, black man who was soldiering in France, far from his native land. One day he was standing at the door of a shed, looking out on the bleak, unhappy countryside. It was bitterly cold, and Sambo took on almost a bluish tinge, so keenly did he suffer from the weather of that winter afternoon. Now, as he looked, the expression on his face changed. His eyes and mouth were each like a big, round O, so widely were they opened as he saw big, white flakes falling to the earth.
“What's the matter, Sam?" asked a British soldier who was standing near.
“Ooo! White rain!" Sambo answered, in a hushed voice.
“Oh, it's the snow you are watching. Have you never seen snow before?”
“Never, sar! No snow in my country.”
Then, as the snow began to fall more thickly, Sambo ventured out. Soon his delight knew no bounds as the fleecy flakes fell upon him and the countryside became beautiful with a coating of pure, white snow.
The British soldier, who was a Christian, watched Sambo enjoying himself for some time. Then he asked: "Can you tell me anything that is whiter than snow, Sam?”
“Yes, sar," the other answered, in a serious tone; “the soul that is washed in my Savior's blood is whiter than this beautiful snow.”
“Why, Sam," came the response, in pleased tones, "where did you hear about that?”
“Way in my country. Mission'ry learn me to love Jesus. We sing in meeting, 'Whiter than the snow.' See my hands, big black hands! That just like my big black heart. Now look!”
Sam bent down. When he rose again his hands were completely covered with snow.
“Oh, the grandness of it! Black sins all gone, never to be remember' any more. All is pure white like this beautiful snow.”
There and then two men, the black and the white, shook hands as brothers in Christ Jesus. They had both learned the great lesson that, no matter what the color of the skin may be, the only thing that can make white the black heart of any one is the precious blood of Jesus.