Once
there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes
and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure
chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be
decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."
Then
the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings
and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone
will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."
Finally
the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest
tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my
branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching.
I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember
me."
After
a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen
came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks
like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a
carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because
he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
At
the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should
be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he
knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
When
the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew
that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen
said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this
one", and he cut it down.
When
the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for
animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all
what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing
boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.
The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years
went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
Then
one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the
baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man
wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have
to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had
held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the
fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to
sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree
didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the
sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At
this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally,
someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the
people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man
was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When
Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the
top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been
crucified on it.
The
moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always
know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you
great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they
had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know
that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
