The Tree

One day a seed fell to the ground and was covered in dirt. As the seed laid cold and afraid in the dark earth it heard a voice say

“Come forth little friend!  I have big plans for you someday!”

And the seed burst open and a small root protruded and grabbed on to the rocky soil in which it laid. After a few days a small sapling appeared no bigger than your thumb growing out of the ground. 

It said to itself “Though I may not look like much now I believe God has made me to be used for great things!  Maybe I will be used to make a kings throne or as a door to his palace someday!”

Years past and the sapling grew into a young tree. It told the other trees the voice it heard and asked them what it could mean.  The other trees scoffed at him saying “You are only a scrub oak!  You are not like us mighty pines which grow tall and straight. You won’t be used for anything except to heat someone’s house someday or cook a meal!”

The tree began to believe the other trees.  What did he know? He wasn’t made like them, tall and sturdy.  The years went by and it tried as hard as it could to be tall and straight, but it was no use.  The winds that blew through the forest twisted the tree and bent his trunk in abnormal ways and even broke off one of his branches. The other trees stole its water and the light it needed to grow big and strong.  

Over the years It saw others around it cut down and used for a variety of uses.  Somewhere used to make into boats for fishing and others for carry cargo far across the sea.  Still others were made into fine doors and furniture.

The tree lamented “It’s no use! I am not good for any purpose but to be used as firewood!  The wind has twisted my limbs and my trunk so much over the years that no one is ever going to find a good use for me!"

More years went by and the tree grew larger, but it kept on being passed up for other trees that seemed taller and straighter than it was.  It’s dream of being used for some grand use faded with each year. 

Eventually the forest on which this tree grew was gone and all that was left was him standing alone.  

   Then one day some men with axes came and looked at the tree and one said to the other “This tree will do!” 

The tree was glad and tried to straighten up its bent trunk as much as it could.  It rejoiced as it’s day of being used had finally come to pass.  The pain of the saws and axes were dulled by the joy of knowing his dream of being used filled his mind once again.  He wondered just what use these men had in mind.  Was it a royal palace door?  Was it a royal table?  Was it a king's throne?  Or was it just to be used to heat a person's home or cook their meal. 

As he was hauled to the city he listened carefully 

“Who is this wood for?”, asked the younger of the two

“The governor needs it!”, answered the other

The tree shivered with delight!  “Oh yes! A governor needs me!  An important person no doubt! I can’t wait to show him my beautiful grain that runs inside me. He will be amazed at how strong my wood is!”

Upon reaching the city the men went to work.  First, they removed his branches and then later cut one of his main branches saying, “Save this one for the cross beam!”   

He wondered “Cross beam?”    Was he to be made into a doorway for the governor?  Would he be greeting great Kings who would come to visit someday?

The men continued their work. They stripped him of his bark cut his round edges off and turned his wind twisted trunk into a size able timber.  As they finished, he wondered why they hadn’t taken the time to smooth his sides for they were still very rough to the touch.  The tree thought to himself “Don’t they want to sand off my sides better.  I would be a lot more useful and enjoyable if I wasn’t so rough?”

Then the men used some tools to cut a section out of his timber and the other branch that was to be the “cross beam”.  They put the two back together in a very odd shape of what looked like a large fence post with a beam attached near the top of it. 

“What kind of door is this?”, he asked. “Surely something Is not right here!  These men clearly don’t know what they are doing!”

“There!” the older man said, “That will do!” and they left the tree lying on the ground.  

The next day some soldiers came by and picked up the tree and carried it away.  They brought him to a man who was badly bruised, bleeding and wearing a crown of thorns. 

As the man grabbed the tree, now shaped into a cross, he said to the tree...

 “Hello there old friend!  I have need of you now for a great purpose” 

The tree recognized that voice.  It was the same voice he heard when he was born, long, long ago. The voice that told him he to become something of great use. The voice of his creator! 

The man picked up the cross and carried it as best as he could as crowds lined the streets yelling “Crucify him!”  

The tree wondered “How can this be? This man should be sitting on a royal throne!  Not nailed to a pathetic tree like me!”

When they nailed him to the cross and lifted him up the crowd jeered

“SAVE YOURSELF JESUS! IF YOU ARE INDEED GODS' SON!  COME DOWN FROM THE CROSS AND WE WILL BELIEVE YOU!”

“SON OF GOD?” thought the tree. Jesus, they called him and instead of yelling back at them the tree heard him talk to the people below and asked that their sin not be held against him.  The tree was confused.  

For several hours he hung on the tree and later even the sun refused to shine, and a great earthquake shook the earth. Finally, the man they called Jesus died yelling “IT IS FINISHED!”

A soldier looked up and said, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

“Son of God?” Asked the tree. Was I used by God to crucify his own Son?”  

The man was taken down, wrapped in a cloth and taken away for burial and many people walked away very sad for what they had done. 

The tree was sad too.  It’s dream of being used for a great purpose seemed to die with that man.  He felt horrible that he had been used for such a terrible injustice. He felt he would never be much or remembered by anyone.  After all, who would care to remember a crooked small tree used to kill the Son of God?

A few days later the whole city was a stir with amazement. People were taking about the man Jesus and that he was alive!

The tree was shivered with delight.  Still however he knew not of whether it was true or not. Soldiers talked of a gravestone rolling away on its own at sunrise and fainting and women coming and finding no body inside the wrapped cloth. 

Then it happened.  The tree was standing on the hill when the man Jesus came by on his way to Galilee and he stopped at the tree.  Putting his hand on its trunk he looked up and said “Well done my old friend! You will be remembered for eternity for what you did!” and he walked on.

The tree rejoiced with such joy!  His creator was not dead but was now alive again and he was commended for playing an important role in Gods great design. 

His dream had not been in vain for he had been used for the grandest purpose ever created by God: the saving of all mankind from their sins. 

And today people all around the world wear the symbol of that tree turned into a cross to remind them of this awesome day that all theirs were paid in full