The Three Trees

[ChuckK3]

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 great treasure chest.  I  could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems.  I could be decorated with  an  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.  People 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, 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 the  carpenter would make him into a treasure  chest.

At  the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like  a strong tree.  I will 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 men said,'I  don't need anything special from my tree, 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, God 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.

Please  keep this moving...... . Pass it on, so God may inspire more  people on the way.

May  your day be blessed. May God cradle you  in the palm of His hand.

[WhiteWings]

 :angelharp: