A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness so he made the Christmas Candy Cane, incorporating several symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white hard candy -- white to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus; hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the church and firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus. It could also represent the staff of "The Good Shepherd" with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross.

Unfortunately, the candy became known as a Candy Cane -- a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who "have eyes to see and ears to hear."