The Giving Tree was one of the most depressing books I have ever read! When my son’s mother got it for him when he was just learning to read, I said a resounding “No!” to that book being in our house. Whether or not he read it I do not know. If he did then I am sure that he found it as depressing as I did.

If you were not subjected to it when you were a child, the plot revolves around an apple tree that falls in love with a young child. The boy plays with the tree and spends his time with it. However, as he grows older, he just uses the tree for what the tree can give him. When he becomes a youth, at the tree’s offer, the youth takes the apples and sells them for money. As a young man, he comes back to the tree and the tree gives him its branches so that he can build a house. As an old man, he returns and the tree gives him its entire trunk so that the man can build a boat and sail far away from all of his troubles. He does this and he does not come back to the now-stump for a long, long time. But come back he eventually does, and the tree says that it does not have anything left to give him but a place to sit. So the man just sits on the stump.

Every time that the boy/youth/young man/middle-aged man/elderly man comes to the tree, the tree is happy to be useful. The only time that the tree expresses any unhappiness is when the boy takes the trunk and goes away for a long, long time. Otherwise, it is always happy to give. After the time as a child, the boy never thanks the tree or has any relationship with the tree, he just takes.

The Giving Tree – Animated Children’s Book (youtube.com)

It is a very controversial, divisive children’s book that teaches children…honestly, I don’t know what it teaches, but there have been many different interpretations of the story. The interpretation that I like the most is that we are the child and the Lord is the tree.

There are several reasons why this is NOT a good analogy. Firstly,  the Lord does not run out of things to give us. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him (Psalm 50:10). He has enough money to buy us all mansions and we all will have one in Heaven. Also, the Lord gives us what we need, He does not always give us what we want (2 Peter 1:3). This is different from the tree. The tree just gave whether it was good for the boy or not. There is a popular saying that the challenge is getting what we want and the second is living with it. The Lord is more interested in a relationship with us than in giving us everything we want.

There are a few ways that the tree does represent my understanding of God. Firstly, you have to go to the Lord and admit your need. If nothing else, the boy’s needs drove him back to the tree, even if the boy could only think of getting something from the tree. Also, the tree is like God in that the tree gave of everything it had. I believe that this is shown in the Lord giving us His son so that we MAY fellowship with Him. The Lord reminds us in the parable of the prodigal son that everything that He has is available to us. Also, the tree was happy to see the boy, everytime he came back. I believe that the Lord is happy to see us, even if we have been away for a long, long  time.

In conclusion, do NOT be like the boy was with the tree in your relationship with the Lord. Yes, ask of the Lord but do not let the disappointments and horrors of life make you bitter, selfish, and indifferent to those who have given to you and those who you have taken from. Look around you and count your blessings. The greatest gift that the Lord offers you is Himself. Take advantage of the Lord’s giving to have fellowship with Him when you are a child, a youth, a young man, or an elderly man.

1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

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