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It's a long little story I got in an email, but I was moved none the less... (not sure if there's anyone to give credit to).
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 the 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, 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.
Thanks for reading... I hope it hits home to others as it did me...
trtlflwrs, I have always enjoyed this story also. Have read it to my children many times. If you are really interested I can find the author. Thanks for sharing...
I really must be Satan because this story totally horrified me. I mean the manger and the boat, all right, but when it got to the part about the cross, this story just lost me. No matter what a cross would come to symbolize, I just can't imagine that if I were the tree, I'd think "This is even better than I could have imagined!" Because I mean...well...it was used to nail and kill someone.
I guess I should be seeing the forest rather than the trees (yar har) and usually, with "profound" stories like this one, religious or not, I can see the forest. But in this case it was just...ughhhhhhhhhh...no offense to the author, whomever he or she may have been...it was done sort of shockingly and cheaply. It was so macabre.
I do understand that the point was supposed to be that God grants wishes in ways different from what we might have imagined. So I'll give it that. It illustrated that point.
[quote=JerZ;767260]I really must be Satan because this story totally horrified me. I mean the manger and the boat, all right, but when it got to the part about the cross, this story just lost me. No matter what a cross would come to symbolize, I just can't imagine that if I were the tree, I'd think "This is even better than I could have imagined!" Because I mean...well...it was used to nail and kill someone.
Actually it was not used to kill anyone because Jesus was not killed HE LIVES! And because of what happened on that tree (cross) we have opportunity to live in Heaven with Him.
[quote=I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA;767469
Actually it was not used to kill anyone because Jesus was not killed HE LIVES! And because of what happened on that tree (cross) we have opportunity to live in Heaven with Him.[/QUOTE]
Well put, ILNC. I was going to say the same thing. As a Catholic Christian, I see Christ crucified every day. In fact, I just recently started to collect old crucifixes. I am sure that this will seem morbid to many and it is not meant to start up anything new, but for me, Christ on the cross is beautiful. He died so that I may live. And since he has risen again, I know that he is alive today. His sacrifice on that cross is simply beautiful. I don't know how else to put it...
Well put, ILNC. I was going to say the same thing. As a Catholic Christian, I see Christ crucified every day. In fact, I just recently started to collect old crucifixes. I am sure that this will seem morbid to many and it is not meant to start up anything new, but for me, Christ on the cross is beautiful. He died so that I may live. And since he has risen again, I know that he is alive today. His sacrifice on that cross is simply beautiful. I don't know how else to put it...
No it's not morbid to me. I actually prefer the cross alone because He didn't stay on it, Praise God!
I always love to hear how others interpret things... 'cause they're never the same!
That's what keeps life (& this forum) interesting :-)
Also makes me think about my own beliefs and hopefully gives me a chance to be a better person.
Thanks again.
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