THREE TREES:

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, 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.