Giving Tree

Book Read By Author

I recently again read Shel Silverstein’s book, “The Giving Tree” to my 3 year old son and after was left with a strange sense of hopeful gloominess. I had read the book several times before but have never been so uneasily affected by its message. The next day, in a great moment of Otium Sanctum (“Holy Leisure”) I think the Spirit connected some dots for me. The hopefulness pushed out the gloominess and actually got me excited about becoming a Tree.

Below is my dialogue with God:

The giving tree - the boy takes and takes, the tree gives and gives, to the point of giving everything. Am I the boy, and you the tree? It is sad because in the end the tree is left as a stump. I find myself angry at the flippancy of the boy in taking from the tree, even though the tree contends that she is happy. She is happy to be useful, but in the end she is used up. You however although in appearance were cut down, came back, glorified, at the right hand of The father, and you received a name that is greater than all other names. You can’t be used up.

You are an infinite forest of giving, not just a tree. There is no limit to your provision - but it seems that you beckon me to be a tree. One that would be a cheerful giver, to the point of stump, but it seems I need not fear, for my strength and provision pulls from your forest, not my branches, but yours, not my leaves, yours. Not my trunk yours. " I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

I am to participate with you, in your mission, of giving. To be completely emptied of myself and find great joy in giving to others, to let Love drive...to the point of stump. Not to glorify the act of martyrdom as the chief ideal, but rather love, and the greatest demonstration of love is as you say - Greater love has no one than this: to lay down ones life for ones friends. So love reigns.

John 12:24-26

24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

We remain a single seed, full of potential and potential energy, not willing or understanding the potential harvests that could come from within. We have great ability, fearful to some, and this ability although innate, is not manufactured in our individual efforts, but because of the system of reproduction God has put into us we have this potential. All we must do is come to the end of ourselves and die.

Maybe the last chapter of The Giving Tree should be that because the tree gave it's apples, and branches, and trunk, it castes it seeds and created a forest. And the boy's children and grandchildren were able to come and play the forest - and the Tree was very happy.