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.
>