Once upon a time, there was a beautiful garden; as beautiful as the Garden of Eden. In this “paradise” you could find all sorts of fruit trees; from tropical fruit such as mangoes and bananas, to apple and pear trees.
In this enchanted garden, all the trees were green, tall and extremely fruitful. The wearied and hungry travelers could find ample sustenance in their luscious fruits and shade under their expansive foliage.
The trees seemed to be happy, especially during the daytime, but at night one could almost hear their painful cries and complaints.
“I can’t take this anymore!” One of the trees cried out.
“Yes, this burden is too heavy for us!” Another complained.
One by one all the fruit bearing trees raised their complaints about all the fruit they had to carry every day. They had been fruitful for many years, but now they were old and tired. Bearing fruit had always been a privilege and a blessing for them, but lately it had become a burden.
As every tree was trying to upstage and eclipse each other with bigger grievances, a barren and squalid tree appeared on the scene. There were no fruits, flowers or leafs on this “tree” and as far as branches, there was only one stretching across the trunk.
“You complain because you have been blessed with much fruit.” The new tree started.
“You feel that this fruit is a burden and so it is, but it is not a heavy load”
All the other trees began to complain again, but they were silenced by a revelation from the newcomer:
“I carried the most precious cargo and the most evil burden one day. Many years ago, a spotless Lamb was nailed on my branches and trunk and along with Him all the wickedness of humanity.”
The whole garden was now in total silence as the stranger continued,
“The fruit that you bear today comes from me. I was once a beautiful tree like you are today, but I was cut down for you. I became the Tree of Death so that you can be alive and fruitful forever.”
The garden became alive once again, but there were no more cries of complaint; only shouts of gratitude and praise. The trees realized that the burden of fruitfulness is the greatest blessing in the world.
A. G.
