easter

here are my easter babes. as i mentioned earlier, we wnt to michigan to celebrate easter. as i was getting ready for the trip, i was feeling a bit disappointed in myself. i didn't feel like i had done enough to really convey the true meaning of easter to ellie. we'd talked about it a little bit, but i just didn't feel like i'd given the conversations as much attention as they deserved. in the car we talked about it a little bit more, but i was struggling to make the message meaningful to a three year old.

on sunday morning the pastor did a children's message. ellie was a bit reluctant to go up to the front by herself, so i offered to go with her. we marched up with about 40 other kids and found a spot on the floor. the pastor read the kids a book called the story of three trees. i've never seen this book before, but will be adding it to our personal library immediately.

the book was about these three trees in the forest day dreaming about what they will become in this life. they all hope and aspire to BE something and to DO something important with their lives. along comes a woodcutter to chop them down. the trees our excited and filled with anticipation for the next phase of their lives. one of the trees is made into a feeding trough (the tree feels like such a failure). into the barn he goes for a life filled of what he believes to be meaningless feeding sessions for the animals. along comes mary and joseph and "no room at the inn". they are sent to the stable for their nights stay. mary goes into labor and suddenly the tree has a new purpose. he is no longer a meaningless feeding tough! he has become the bed for the savior of the world. the story goes on to tell of the other two trees and how their purpose in life is also transformed.

i loved the message of this story! it illustrated to e (and everyone in the church that morning) just how transforming Jesus can be in our lives. living with Him gives us a NEW purpose! they went on to give each of the kids an evergreen tree to plant. they were encouraged to use the tree as a reminder of how Christ can change our lives. it was an excellent way to make easter meaningful in the mind of a three year old, and it certainly made me pause and give thanks for my own potential with Jesus.

here's where you can get the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Three-Trees-Traditional-Folktale/dp/0745917437