I'm a ballad girl. I love a story told in song. There is a new one out called "Stretchy Pants" by Carrie Underwood. It will make you smile. Every genre has ballads. Mama and I used to sing Johnny Cash's "Daddy Sang Bass" and "Puff the Magic Dragon", when we would have "concerts" at the piano in her last months. "Down in the Boondocks" is another she always loved to sing with me.
A favorite Christmas ballad tells the story of a family finding the perfect Christmas tree. Ray Boltz wrote it and recorded it quite a few years ago. It is still one of my favorites. My dear friend Julie once found a snow globe that captured the sentiment of the song. That snow globe is on our mantle this year. It reminds me of Julie... and the song.
Here is a snippet of the lyrics:
"Mother wants a straight one
The children want it tall
Dad just hopes that somehow
He can get it down the hall
Soon they'll gather round it
As proud as they can be
But when they're looking at it
I wonder if they see
The perfect tree
Grew very long ago
And it was not decked with silver
Or with ornaments of gold
But hanging from its branches
Was a gift for you and me
Jesus laid His life down
On the perfect tree."
It creates a powerful image. We used it for a Christmas program theme one year and the children begged to repeat the song a second year. It resonated with their souls. Of course, we let them sing it again.
This scripture reminds us of God's heart for rescue and restoration.
"And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree." -Romans 11:23
Every child finds a little magic in their Christmas tree, but what God did with a tree was not magic. It was a miracle.
Today, I am grateful for "The Perfect Tree".
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