THE PERFECT TREE

By Dr. Laila Risgallah Wahba

A Christmas Story

Elon’s only gift was planting trees. He longed to serve God in some great, meaningful way. But every morning, all he found himself doing was digging holes, patting down soil, watering seedlings, and whispering prayers over tiny sprouts.

Years passed, and many of his trees grew tall and strong. Some were cut and made into tables where families celebrated feasts. Others became chairs on which old men sat and told stories. Each tree brought joy to someone—but in his heart, he kept feeling:

“Not yet. I have not planted the perfect tree.”

Still, he didn’t know what he was looking for. He only told himself: “I will know it when I see it.”

Elon carved his name into each tree—a small mark of love—so that if he ever came across them in town, he could smile knowing that a piece of his labor lived on.

Then came the day he would never forget.

Roman soldiers marched into his grove. Without permission, they cut down the largest, strongest tree he had ever grown. He rushed to stop them, but they shoved him aside. He watched helplessly as they dragged it away.

His heart sank. Nothing good, he thought, ever came from Romans taking wood.

In the days that followed, the town buzzed with talk about a man named Jesus. Some whispered that He was a troublemaker. Others swore He was a healer. Some even dared to say He was the Messiah.

Elon knew little of Him. He was always too busy tending his trees.

But everything changed when Elon joined a crowd outside Jerusalem. There, on a hill called Golgotha, he saw a cross being raised—and something in the grain of the wood caught his eye.

A faint carving.

His name: Elon.

His breath caught in his throat.

His tree.His tree.

The perfect tree.

Not perfect because it was tall or strong.Not perfect because he planted it.

Perfect because God chose it to carry the Savior of the world.

In that moment, tears filled his eyes—not from sorrow, but from awe.

All those years of planting…All those prayers whispered into the soil…All the ordinary days he thought meant nothing…

God had woven them into the greatest story ever told.

Elon had planted the perfect tree after all.

PS

In Hebrew:

🌿 Elon (אֵילוֹן)Meaning: “Oak,” “mighty tree,” “a strong, rooted one.”