Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree, has been read to millions of children through the years. The story centers on a boy who visits the tree regularly, enjoying its many gifts.He picks her apples and sells them. He uses her branches for shade and to build a house, and he later chops down her trunk to build a boat. Eventually, the tree has nothing left, but a stump. At the end of the story, the boy is an old man and returns to the tree to sit on the remaining base. The tree gave everything it had to the boy. It is a tale of self-sacrifice.This story parallels what our Lord did for us. Jesus didn’t cling to the privileges of deity. He was subject to affliction, temptation, and hunger. He suffered pain, betrayal, and abandonment due to His unconditional love for us. He stretched out his arms in order that we would come to Him. Our Savior gave us everything—His unconditional love, mercy, and grace. And, for those who believe—eternal life (see John 3:15).