“I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. (1 John 2:13, KJV)

We were so excited to visit a Christmas tree lot. The trees sold here are from North Carolina and are very beautiful.

We were welcomed by the young men helping the customers. We noticed that all the workers were high school aged. They were clean cut and very respectful and professional in their service.

As we walked among the trees, they were so beautiful! They were tagged with colored strings at the top that marked their price. The blue-tagged trees were the least expensive. There were also orange- and white-tagged ones, which were bigger.

We chose a tree that was big and full of foliage. It was tagged with a blue-colored string. The young man looked at us and said, “This is the biggest blue-tagged that I have seen!” He thought for a moment. We waited.

Next thing you know, he tried to pull that tree out of its secured place to sell it to us, but it was too heavy! He had to drag it across the field. He placed it on the ground and started sawing a bit of the trunk to prepare it for a tree stand.

He called another young man to help him carry it to the car. This young man tried to pick it up on his own. “Ah, this is the heaviest blue-tagged tree that I have ever tried to pick up!”

Both of them carried the tree to place it on the roof of our car. We had a short conversation in which I asked them if they knew Jesus as their Saviour. I asked them specific biblical questions about salvation to make sure. Both answered the questions; they did know Jesus as their personal Saviour. We rejoiced! We talked about Israel. They loved Israel, and one of them had hopes to go there once he was out from “under his parents’ roof.”

We drove home so joyful with that beautiful tree on the roof of our car. We had a friend help us carry it into the house. My husband and I had such a good time decorating that beautifully-shaped tree. It was the most beautiful Christmas tree we had every had! It was just like those glorious trees that are in the mountains—perfectly created by the hand of God!

I put water in the tree stand, and the tree drank it up so quickly! I soon had to put more water in it. A week and half later, that tree had dried up! It no longer had life in it. I felt the water. The tree had stopped drinking it. I felt the stems. They were stiff! So sad! I just couldn’t have a dead tree for Christmas.

So, we went back to that Christmas tree lot. I looked for the two young men who had helped us with the tree. They were not there. I spoke with another young man. I explained the situation. Another young man walked up, and the first young man shared about the situation with him. This young man smiled and called the manager right away. After he hung-up from the call, he smiled and said, “You get a new tree!” He was so happy to give the good news! We were so surprised!

He asked us what color-tagged tree we had bought. I explained that we had purchased a blue-tagged one, but it was bigger than usual. We were asked to choose an orange-tagged tree, which are bigger than the blue-tagged ones. But not one tree—blue-, orange-, or white-tagged—was as beautiful as the first one we had purchased.

So we went with the one that the second young man suggested. This man was born-again. He mentioned the church that he attends with his mother. It happened to be the one that we used to attend. He talked about living in San Diego, California, and said that was his favorite place to live. He said, “When you are in your happy place, nothing else matters.”

I looked at him and asked, “Are you really saved? Did you ask Jesus to be your personal Saviour and Lord?”

He answered, “Yes, ma’am, I have. I have also been baptized.”

“Well then, ”I said, “your happy place is in Jesus Christ! There is no other place for a Christian to find  happiness.”

He looked seriously into my eyes. “Yes, ma’am, you are so right.” He looked down, thinking for a minute. “Yes ma’am, you are so right!” Then he looked into my eyes, and we both smiled.

We didn’t know what to expect, but God was doing something. We gave this young man a tip for helping to place the tree on the car. It only took one young man to pick up this tree. I then went to look for the young man who had called the manager in order to thank him and give him a tip as well.

He was helping another customer, so I had to wait. After he was finished, I called out his name, and he walked toward me. “I just want to thank you for your help. I also have a question to ask you.”

He responded, “Yes, ma’am?” I looked into his eyes.

“Do you know Jesus as your Saviour?”

He answered, “Yes, my girlfriend is Catholic and her mother is too. I am trying to get closer to that.”

I said, “Well, religion is not the same as knowing Jesus as your Saviour. You must believe in Him as the Son of God who died for you on the cross for your sins so that you may be in heaven for eternity. Would you like for me to pray with you to believe in Him?’’

Much to my surprise, he very quickly responded, “Yes, ma’am, I would.”

We looked into each other’s eyes, as we prayed. He received Christ’s love for him, believed in Him as His Saviour, and at  His cross confessed his sins and gave his life to Him. He smiled with such excitement, thanking me!

This is what God was up to! My husband said, “That is what that dried up tree was about. This new tree was about a soul!”

We brought that tree home. We took all the ornaments off the other tree. We had help to take that other big, heavy tree out of the house and to bring in the new one. We used some of the dried-up tree’s limbs in our home’s fireplace.

Now, there was something about this second tree. It had a special brightness to it! Of course, God had used its life to bring in a life to heaven for eternity. This particular tree had been chopped down to give its life for a soul! Isaiah 55:12 says that even the trees clap their hands: “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

I pondered on the first tree that we had bought. It was so beautiful. I had to find out what had happened to it. So, I did a little bit of research. I learned that sometimes the area of a Christmas tree’s trunk is covered with sap when the trunk is sawed off, and the tree cannot drink water, so it dries up.

Hmmm … this is like a Christian who believes in Jesus and grows to be so beautiful in the Lord’s life, but right at the place where the Spirit of God cuts this person off from the world to give him Jesus, he starts living for the world again, and his life gets so full of sap—sin—that he can no longer drink of the living water, the Holy Spirit, and he dries up! I think of what the Bible says in Matthew 7:19: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“Abba, Father, how beautiful that first tree was. But look what happened to it. So sad, God. But You, Father, had a soul to save! And I am so grateful for Your favor to have another tree that was used to bring in another soul that You were drawing to Your Son. Jesus, my heart breaks because the young people of this generation need You! Please help us to reach out to them by the power of Your Spirit, that they may turn from the subtle ways of the enemy who is after their lives and may overcome in You. Lord, do this for Your name’s sake alone, that they may be in eternity with You. We don’t want dried up lives due to sin, God. We want fruit for You, Jesus! Pursue the young through our lives by Your Holy Spirit, Lord.”