Not the way they planned it!

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. And until we meet again, may God cradle you in the palm of His
hand.