Reeva,
I love this story, I sure can relate to it. We are so blessed!
Thanks for sending it.
Virgie and Lady Hoshi
----- Original Message -----
From: "Reeva Parry" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, December 22, 2007 10:34 AM
Subject: Picking A Christmas Tree
> Picking A Christmas tree!
>
>
> Christmas was only days away, and we still didn't have a tree. Living on a
> college-student's budget with a baby on the way made it hard to spend
> $25.50 on something we didn't need. It seemed kind of trivial when I told
> God how sad I felt that we couldn't afford a Christmas tree. Then I felt
> guilty knowing
> there were children starving in Africa and people who needed so much more
> than us.
>
> Yet, God didn't think it was selfish. Instead He provided. The Sunday
> before Christmas we discovered a nearby tree lot had marked all the trees
> down to
> $10!
>
> When my husband came home from classes Monday evening we hurried to the
> tree lot.
>
> As we walked down each row, I looked for just the right spruce to fit in
> the corner of our one-bedroom apartment. For this pregnant woman, choosing
> a tree was almost like choosing our child's name. I took way too much
> time!
>
> The sun went down quickly, they turned the spotlights off, and the tree
> lot turned
> pitch dark.
>
> My creative and very patient husband pulled our car into the rows of trees
> and flashed on his high beams. The bright lights dispelled the darkness
> and standing
> in front of me was the most precious little tree I'd ever seen. Although
> it had some droopy branches and a gap on one side, I pointed and said,
> "That's
> the one I want!"
>
> Later that night, I sat on our couch, looking at my cute little spruce
> pine, reminiscing about our evening. I'd felt sad earlier, when the
> darkness made it
> impossible to see the trees, but when the beams of light illuminated the
> lot, my heart filled with hope. Etched in my mind was a picture I wouldn't
> forget,
> a picture that drew me back to another time marked by darkness--a time
> when I wasn't choosing, but needed to be chosen.
>
> Just when it felt like all my dreams had died and my hope was gone, God's
> Light punctured the clouds of depression surrounding my mind as His love
> poured into my heart. It happened on another cold winter's eve when God
> looked at me and
> said, "That's the one I want!"
>
> At some point in our lives, I think most of us can identify with that
> little tree. Scarred by disappointments, we wonder if anyone would ever
> choose us. With gaps that make us feel like candidates for rejection we
> hope no one will see the holes in our hearts. Like the fate of my little
> spruce, it seems the only way we'll get chosen is if all the good ones
> are picked first.
>
> First Peter 2:9 reminds us that through Christ we are chosen! God sent His
> Son to light our darkness and fill the gaps in our hearts. Hold onto the
> truth
> that God sees you today and in His heart! He's saying, "You're the one I
> want!"
>
>
> Dear Lord, that spruce pine and I have a lot in common. Even with my gaps
> and broken branches, You chose me and made me part of Your family through
> Jesus. Thank You for sending Your Son to illuminate the dark corners of my
> life and bring hope to my heart. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
>
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