Two Trees

by Doug Street:

       Everything in the garden was lovely. The flowers were in full bloom, and the perfume was exotic. The trees were in fruit and ... what fruit! Never had the young couple, who now wandered along the carefully prepared pathways, hand in hand, seen such beauty or tasted such fruit. Not a plant was out of place, colour and size was so perfectly blended; and ... not a weed was to be seen!
       "Think of it," murmured the young man to his beautiful bride, "all this is ours," and they strolled still further into the garden, exclaiming at the fresh beauty as they turned yet another corner along the many pathways.

     "Ah!" they spoke almost together. "This must be the very centre of the garden, see there is the tree that the Master spoke of, just look at that fruit, did you ever see such beauty?"
     "Yes, indeed, but remember, he also said we must not eat of that fruit, any other, indeed every other fruit we may eat, but not that or we shall die, and we've only just started to live, so let us enjoy what is ours."
     How wise the young husband was. But .... was it strange that day after day they felt drawn back to that one tree ... wondering ... could there be anything wrong with such a beautiful looking fruit? Could the one who had planted such a perfect garden, put just one tree, right in the centre, that was not good to eat? Indeed was deadly poison?
     Was it not strange that they should ignore another tree just a few yards away, almost identical to the ordinary observer, to the one with the "DO NOT TOUCH" notice on it?
     At last they could stand the strain no longer, they had to make the choice ... which tree to eat from ....?  They chose .... the forbidden fruit ... and .... immediately something snapped! No, they did not fall down dead .... but something inside snapped, and died.  The peace the young couple had enjoyed suddenly disappeared. Fear gripped them. They knew they had chosen wrongly. They shrank among the bushes realising it was too late to be sorry. Spiritually they were dead. Their body only lived on, to suffer the results of disobedience.

     "Why," exclaimed a young man in anger, "should I suffer and be punished because of what Adam did? It wasn't my fault he chose wrongly!"
     Are these your thoughts too, I wonder? Then I have news for you! You do NOT have to suffer for what someone else did wrong. No, you are only to be punished because you too are making the wrong choice. Remember we said there were two trees - both bearing fruit. One was the Tree of Knowledge, the other the Tree of Life.  Mankind down the ages has chosen Knowledge in preference to Life.
     One man, Solomon, when given a choice, chose wisdom and God gave him not only wisdom, but riches beyond measure. Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you."

     One day Jesus Christ, God's son, had to make a choice. He chose to die on the cross of Calvary, the most cruel death ever devised by man. He said: "No man takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord," in order that you need not die in the same way Adam died. Jesus died to pay the penalty, the price, of all sin; to give to all people a new life ... that Life which snapped and died when Adam ate the wrong fruit can be brought back to life in you.
     You do not have to suffer. You are not punished because of what someone else has done. That would not be justice, would it? And God is a just and righteous God. No, you will be judged and punished at the last day only because of your rejection of God's offer of salvation. It was for you that Jesus died; won't you accept his wonderful offer now?
     Just turn to him in simple prayer and tell him you want this new life. You want this dead part in you to be born again. Tell him you are sorry you have been rejecting him for so long and thank him for making it possible for you, at the end of this life, to eat the fruit of the Tree of Life. Thank him for dying for you and accept his wonderful pardon ... and begin to LIVE!

(Bible references: Genesis 2v9; 1 Kings 3:5-14; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 26:39; John 10:18; Deuteronomy 32:4; Revelation 2:7)

This tract was written by my father many years ago. He is now enjoying LIFE with Jesus in Heaven!

In the beginning ....

          A few years ago I bought a writers magazine for my daughter who was about to embark on a university course in creative writing. However, I found the mag fascinating and started putting pen to paper myself! One of the competitions in the mag was to write a short story based on a simple photograph. I remember the picture well – it was a woman with a red umbrella walking up some steps. I wrote the story but didn’t submit it. At least it was a beginning!

         Soon afterwards I read a novel which began with someone describing photographs to a blind girl. There was a story in everything she described: the reason why the caravan was at an angle, the weather, the tree, the Spring flowers. This inspired me to start building a family story book on the photos I have in biscuit tins and ice-cream tubs. It was like stepping into a time machine with every picture; I recalled the occasion, the place, the people, the laughs, and the tears.  Needless to say this can leave one in a rather quiet and melancholic state of mind. I have written short stories and poetry, but I don’t have the patience to carry an entire novel. 
       
        When my mother turned 70, we bought her a lever-arch file, a pad of paper and a brand new pen and instructed her to write down her life story! She was always saying things like: “When we were kids….”, or “Your Granddad used to….”.  She enjoyed the experience and we now have a lovely story of her childhood, early days of marriage, travels to a far away country, fears and aspirations. Although I’m nowhere near 70, I decided I needed to at least start on my own life story – for my children and still-to-come grandchildren!  I’ve got 67 pages, with a few photos, and haven’t yet got to the part of meeting my darling husband!
        
       Fortunately I’m a diary writer. For my first Christmas after finishing school, my sister gave me a very small page-by-page diary to record my first impressions of working life. The following year I continued on note-pads – which are now falling apart and almost out of date order! Apart from quite a gap when my children were very small – which would probably have been good fun and the most interesting parts of a diary – I’ve sat each morning over coffee and breakfast and recorded frustrations, the weather, and family news, so it was easy to start writing a life-story, but it’s possibly also a life-long task!
       
       And then to blogs ….. And a family website ….. And an internet-published story …. And a real published poem! 
  
      Come to think of it, I have a vague memory of saying I was “writing a story” as a 9 or 10 year old, so maybe the beginning was earlier than I thought!?