I drove past a plot of land that brought back memories. On that corner once stood an old barn - part of a family-owned Christmas tree farm that we visited every year growing up. After choosing the perfect tree, Dad and my brother would tie it to the roof of the van while Mom and I got a head start on the free hot chocolate inside the warm barn. Think about how something as overlooked as a tree in a forest could become the focal point of a family gathering when decorated and lit up by twinkling lights?!
Nelson Henderson, a Canadian farmer and conservationist said “Every tree, every place, every life is growing toward something it cannot yet see.”
So I was imagining a tree, standing tall yet unaware of it’s purpose. Perhaps it would be made in to a stable providing shelter for sheep? Maybe a food trough where a newborn baby would sleep. Or would it be shaped in to a cross, and carried to a hill, where the savior of the world would give His life for all?
That old barn on the side of the road has since burned down, but in it’s day, a structure of old weathered wood (and the trees we bought there) gave meaning and cherished memories to our Christmases. Happy Monday!