I came across this story a long time ago and then again in a book am reading… so i decided to share it here.
According to a traditional folk tale, once there were three little trees, all with big dreams. The first tree dreamed of being carved into a beautiful and ornate treasure box that would hold the greatest treasure the world had ever seen. The second tree dreamed of being fashioned into a great ship that would sail the Seven Seas. The third tree didn’t want to leave its home on the mountaintop. “I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me,” he said, “they’ll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God.”
One day when the young saplings had grown into tall, strong trees, three woodcutters climbed the mountain. As they cut down the first tree, it could barely contain its excitement—it just knew it would soon fulfill its destiny. But instead of an elaborate treasure chest, workers made the tree into a plain, ordinary feedbox for farm animals. The tree felt bitterly disappointed. The second tree got made into a ship, all right—but not the kind to crest the waves of mighty oceans. It became just a simple fishing vessel, floating in a lake—not the stuff dreams are made of. The third tree, to its horror and dismay, also got chopped down, cut into wooden beams, and then left to gather dust in a lumberyard. “All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountaintop and point to God,” it moaned.
Time passed and the trees forgot their dreams, until one night when a young woman placed her baby in the animal feedbox—and the first tree knew that indeed it carried the greatest treasure on earth. Another night, a tired man and his friends crowded onto the little fishing boat. They got halfway across the lake when a terrible storm blew in, threatening to tear the boat to pieces. The tired man stood up and said, “Peace, be still.” The second tree knew then that it was carrying the King of heaven and earth. One Friday morning the third tree felt itself yanked from the woodpile and dragged through city streets, where crowds shouted insults. The tree felt cruel and ugly when it realized it had become an instrument of torture. Soldiers nailed a man’s hands and feet to its beams. But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy, the tree stood tall, knowing that from now on, it would forever point people to God.
In this story I see God being faithful even when the trees had lost hope and were disappointed and had forgotten all about their dreams. God was there in the background weaving it all together, when they were chopped down and feeling useless and rejected. He knew their end. Right now, my life is going according to MY plan but I know that God is working out His plan and that it is glorious!! Its not an easy thing to hand over the reins of your life to someone else but whom better than our creator. My cousin Muna always says “living by His design and not default”. So every day in the morning I say – Lord, I trust You.
Life In-Between 