Snapplemiffin trees, unlike trees in our world, produce their best fruit at the time of pruning, and every year at that time, people throughout the entire land of Fruitinshire travel far and wide to visit the Snapplemiffin orchard to catch a glimpse of the famous trees and taste their fruit. Not a single person, after seeing the trees’ fruit, can leave the orchard without giving praise to their creator and keeper, and well they should, for that was what the trees and their fruit were created for-to bring glory to their Creator.
One year, a random acorn fell into the well-fertilized soil of the Snapplemiffin orchard and began to grow. With the near magical soil of the orchard, the oak tree grew at a miraculous pace, and by the time of pruning, had grown into the height and size of a Snapplemiffin tree. The only difference in appearance between it and a Snapplemiffin tree is that its branches were not laden with Snapplemiffin fruit-only acorns, which were despised by and offensive to the orchard owner.
Naturally, all the Snapplemiffin trees noticed this, and pointed it out to the oak tree. “You must not be a Snapplemiffin tree. If you were a Snapplemiffin tree, you would have Snapplemiffin fruit. Every true Snapplemiffin tree has Snapplemiffin fruit to prove it. Ask the orchard owner to change you into a true Snapplemiffin tree.”
But although the other trees warned the oak tree daily that it was not a true Snapplemiffin tree and would be cut down at the time of pruning, the oak tree did not consider that to be a problem.
“I’m as good as any dumb ‘ol Snapplemiffin tree. Why should I not be allowed to stay in this orchard and be admired by the people of the land?” he reasoned. “I don’t need the orchard owner to change who I am. I can remain an oak tree. I love my acorns. Why should I have to give them up? I just need to put Snapplemiffin fruit on my branches. Then everyone will like me, and I’ll look good and be admired by all those who come to the orchard.” This of course was not the purpose or heart of the Snapplemiffin trees-to be admired themselves- and though they often told him they bore fruit and existed only in gratitude for and to please and glorify their creator, the oak tree never quite seemed to get it.
As the growing season progressed and other trees continued bearing fruit, the oak tree set to work. Every night while the other trees slept, the oak tree would gather Snapplemiffin trees with its branches and set them on the branches of his own tree overtop the acorns that were already in place. As the days passed, many of the other trees began to forget he was not a true Snapplemiffin tree. They saw the Snapplemiffin fruit on his branches, and they all knew that the true sign of a Snapplemiffin tree was Snapplemiffin fruit.
By the time pruning season began, all the Snapplemiffin trees had accepted the oak tree as one of their own, and the oak tree, elated with the success of his plan, was certain that he could fool the orchard owner as well. “All I had to do to make them believe I was one of them was just put on some of their fruit. I look just like them now. No one will know the difference, and I will receive glory and praise for my beautiful fruit when the people of the kingdom arrive, and love and acceptance from the orchard owner as well! I didn’t need the orchard owner’s sacrifice. I don’t need his pruning. I can have my acorns and be a Snapplemiffin tree, too.”
But things did NOT go as planned when the orchard owner arrived. He walked right over to the oak tree and began preparations to cut him down.
“What are you doing?” the oak tree screamed in protest. “I’m one of yours; I’m a Snapplemiffin tree! You can’t cut me down! Look at my fruit!”
The orchard owner shook his head. “You were never one of my trees. You may have tacked on the fruit of the Snapplemiffin trees, but your identity never changed. Your goal in putting on fruit was not to glorify me, but to make yourself look good and make yourself acceptable to me. The only way to become acceptable to me is to let me change you into a Snapplemiffin tree. I know my trees and you are not one of them.” To prove his point, the orchard owner reached out his hand, and shook the tree. Snapplemiffin fruit fell to the ground, and the acorns were suddenly clearly visible. Everyone gasped as the oak tree hung its branches in shame.
There was silence for several moments and everyone held their breaths to see what the orchard owner would do. “Would you like me to make you into a true Snapplemiffin tree?” he finally asked.
The oak tree lifted its branches in surprise. “Why would you do that? I don’t deserve to become a real Snapplemiffin tree. I tried to become one and please you and others by putting on fruit. I’ve lied to everyone. I didn’t want to give up my acorns. Why would you make me one of your trees?”
The orchard owner smiled. “None of these trees deserved that. They all were once ordinary oak trees, enjoying their acorns and seeking the praise of others. But my son gave his life to acquire the formula for changing oak trees into Snapplemiffin trees to glorify me, and all of these trees have recognized this and asked me to change who they are from their roots up to the tips of their branches to make them Snapplemiffin trees. They have surrendered their acorns and given them up, for they know they are offensive to me.”
“Please, if you will,” the oak tree began, “I would like-I want-Will you make me into a Snapplemiffin tree? I will give up my acorns. I desire now only to be one of your trees and bear fruit for you.”
The orchard owner smiled. “I will change your roots now and prune your branches of acorns, but you will not change into a perfect Snapplemiffin tree overnight,” he warned. “Every year I will come and find acorns hidden in your branches, and every year I will prune them if you let me. As time wears on, you will find you will produce more and more Snapplemiffin fruit and less and less acorns.”
“I still don’t understand something, though,” the oak tree admitted. “I had fruit before. Why were not you pleased by it? Why was I not accepted because of it?”
“The Snapplemiffin fruit pleases me and glorifies me, but it is not what makes you acceptable to me. What makes you acceptable to me is not a work you do, but the work my son did to make a way for you to become a Snapplemiffin tree. If you trust his work to be enough to change you and truly let me do this work, you will be acceptable to me. Before, you put on fruit because your roots desired to please and be accepted by others. Your roots’ desires revealed what kind of tree you were-an unchanged oak tree that still loved its acorns. Now that you are accepting my son’s sacrifice to make you into a Snapplemiffin tree, I am accepting you for that. No fruit you try to put on by yourself will please me, for that is only fake fruit. I must first change you and accepted you as my tree. Only then will you begin to produce real fruit that pleases and glorifies me. Every true Snapplemiffin tree has fruit. But tacking on Snapplemiffin fruit does not make a tree a Snapplemiffin tree. Any tree can tack on fruit. Only I, the orchard owner can change an oak tree into a true Snapplemiffin tree. Will you let me change your roots now?”
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