The Bluestone Review 2025

The Bluestone Review

Then one day, something terrible happened. Some bad men were planning to hurt the teacher. Soldiers came and cut the limbs off the dogwood tree. The bad men used the tree’s limbs to make a wooden cross. The dogwood tree was filled with sorrow—how could it be used to bring harm to the kind man it had grown to admire? They made a cruel crown out of thorns for the teacher to wear. They yelled at him and made him carry the heavy cross through the streets. Then, they nailed him to the cross until he died. The dogwood tree could not understand why this was happening. How could someone so kind be treated so cruelly? The dogwood tree was so sad. It thought there would be no more stories. No more visits from the teacher and those who came to hear him. The world felt dark and cold. The tree wept, regretting that its strong limbs had been used for something so terrible. But the dogwood tree had heard enough of the teacher’s stories to know that God is good. He does not allow something bad to happen without some good coming from it. The tree clung to that hope, even in its sorrow. And three days later, that’s exactly what happened. The dogwood tree saw people running, smiling, rejoicing! The teacher was alive again! Could it be? Could this man be the one they had been waiting for? What the bad men had meant for evil, God used for good! And now we can all hope! The dogwood tree finally understood—this man is more than a teacher. He is the Savior, the Son of God! And his name is Jesus! He came to give eternal life to all who declare that Jesus is their Lord and believe in their hearts that God raised him from the dead. (Romans 10:9) After that time, God never allowed the dogwood tree to grow so tall and strong anymore. Its limbs and trunk could never be used to make a cross again. The tree was grateful. It would never again be used to harm anyone, especially not someone so good. Instead, it now grows slender and graceful, and every year it blooms around Easter, to celebrate when the Savior, Jesus, came alive again. The dogwood tree always wants to remind us of the good thing God has done.

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