After reading the book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein for about the twentieth time, I realized that there are many aspects about it I like. One of the things I like is the extraordinary generosity of the tree, which unselfishly gives of itself to its friend. I also like how it shows how self-centered a person can be, as in the case of the boy who always took from the tree and never gave anything back. Finally, I like how at the end of the story, the boy comes back and discovers that he needs the tree’s support but still doesn't understand how much the tree has given to him. This lack of understanding leads to a very sad ending.
The tree's self-less giving is just like God. The tree just kept giving to the boy and received nothing in return. God is the same way, he gives to us and for the most part, we give nothing back. Many people try to give something back by leading Christian lives and showing God’s love through their actions. Many times, we take God’s self-less giving for granted, just like the boy took the tree’s self-less giving for granted.
—Courtney
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“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”