Well, I want
to share a story I read years ago from a Winners Chapel Bulletin I think. Most
of us might have read it but I’m reminding us just as a medium of encouraging
anyone out there who feels life is overwhelming, life is hard and it’s not
working out as planned or as it should. I read it when I was in secondary
school and wrote it down in my little diary then, found the story few days ago
and decided to share.
THREE TREES: DREAMS/VISIONS
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 straightest and tallest 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’m 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 will come to pass, a group of Herdsmen came
upon the trees. When one came to the first tree, he looked at it and said “This
looks like a strong tree. I think I should be able to sell the wood to a
carpenter’” he began cutting it down. The tree was happy because he knew the
carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. The second man came upon the
second tree and said “This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell
it to the ship yard.” The second tree was happy because it was on it’s way to
becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree
was frightened because he knew that if he was cut down, his dreams would not
come true. The woodsman 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 carpenter’s, 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
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 their dreams.
Then one day, a man and a woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they
placed the baby in the hay in the feed box as crib for the baby. 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 then the tree didn’t think it was
strong. The men woke the sleeping man and he stood and said “peace” and the
storm stopped. At that time, the tree knew it had carried the king of kings in
his boat. Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through
the street as the people mocked the man 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 the
hill. When it was Sunday, 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 possible because Jesus
had been crucified on it.
MORAL OF THE
STORY:
When things
seem not to be going your way or when things seem so unfair and hard or when
things seem not to be going the way you think it should, God is still up there
working things out. Can you still wholly rely on Him? Can you still wholly put
your trust in Him? Can you still be Patient with Him? If you can, he will do
greater than you can imagine. The trees would never imagine that a savior would
be born so their dreams would be fulfilled in greater ways. Each got what they
wanted but not in the way they had imagined. We don’t know what God’s plans are
for us, we just know that His ways are not our ways but His ways are the best. He
knows your heart, He knows your wishes, He sees the tears, He sees the pain, and
He knows your desires even before you thought about it, just Anchor solely on
Him and you will never be disappointed.
Any thoughts
use the comment box below and don’t forget to subscribe to the blog by email below to
get posts straight to your mail.
Love
Kambi