Senior Adult and Education Ministries
Sharing our witness for Jesus Christ is something we all can do, regardless of our place in society
I found this recently and thought it might speak to your heart as it did mine.
"Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams.
The first tree said 'I hope to be a great Treasure Chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see my beauty.'
The second tree said 'Some day 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.'
The third tree said 'I want to grow to be the tallest tree in the forest. People will see me kn top of the hill, look up to my branches and thing of God and the heavens and how close I am reaching to God. 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 being a mighty ship.
When the woodsman came to the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew if they cut him down, his dreams would not become 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 two long 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 into 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 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 up the sleeping man and he stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this, the tree knew 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 the hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize 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.
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 blessings. Each of the trees got what they desired, 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.
