Room at the Top by Marilynn Dwyer Mason
Author Unknown
Long, long ago, in a land far away lived a perfect little tree named Small Pine. Small Pine hoped to maintain its perfect form and be selected by the queen as her Christmas tree. Yet as the warm-hearted little tree gave shelter to birds, rabbits, and deer in the forest, its branches became damaged!
Fortunately the queen had a different idea of perfection. The queen, her family and all of the villagers said that Small Pine was the finest Christmas tree yet, for in looking at its drooping nibbled branches, they saw the protecting arm of their father, or the comforting lap of their mother. Some like the wise queen saw the love of Christ expressed on Earth.
So, as you walk among evergreens today, you’ll find along with rabbits, birds, and other happy living things, many trees like Small Pine. You’ll see a drooping limb which gives cover, a gap offering a warm resting place, and branches ragged from feeding hungry animals. For, as have many of us, the trees have learned that living for the sake of others makes us most beautiful in the eyes of The Lord.