Prop: Slice an apple through the middle (horizontally) of the apple
There was an apple tree growing alone in a pine forest. When it was a young tree, it stood proudly and stretched out its limbs to the sky. It said, “Look what a beautiful, tall, straight tree I am becoming.” The pine trees who could not reach their limbs straight up to the sky didn’t say anything.
But within a few years, the pine trees began to grow taller than the apple tree. They looked up and said, “We can see the stars and they are very beautiful.”
The apple tree could see a few stars, but some of the pine trees blocked his view. He complained to God, but God answered, “Just wait, you shall see the stars.”
A few more years passed and the pine trees grew even taller and fuller and completely blocked the sky. The apple tree could not see any stars then and he complained again, “I cannot see the stars.” But, God answered again, “just wait, you shall see the stars.”
The apple tree became more unhappy, even when it first produced limbs full of bright red apples. The pine trees laughed at the apple tree, saying, “We can see the stars and you cannot. All you can do is grow apples.”
The apple tree started to complain but God answered before he could complain. God picked an apple and cut the apple in half crosswise and showed the tree the star made by the apple seeds. (Show the children your cut apple. Cut horizontally, the seeds form a star.)
Then He said to the apple tree, “It is not the stars that you see in the sky that count, but the ones inside of you. It is full of promise. It’s not the number of seeds in the apple that count but the number of apples in the seeds.” When we compare ourselves with others, God is quick to point out the potential in each one of us. The stars lie within us as do the seeds of the future.