Three trees. Parable

Three trees grew on one of the hills. Once they talked about their hopes and dreams.

The first tree said: “Someday I would like to become a treasure chest. I would be filled with gold, silver and precious stones. I would be decorated with carvings, and everyone would see my beauty. ”

The second tree said: “I would like to become a powerful ship. I would transport kings and queens along the waves to all corners of the earth. Everyone would feel safe because of my strength. ”

The third tree said: “I would like to grow and become the most powerful and tallest tree in the forest. People would see me on a hilltop, admire my branches and think about God and how close I am to Him. I would become the greatest tree of all time, and people would always remember me. ”

After several years of their prayers, lumberjacks came for their dreams. One went up to the first tree and said: “This is a solid tree, probably I can sell it to a carpenter,” and began to chop it. The tree was happy because the carpenter could make a treasure box out of it!

At the second tree, the lumberjack said: "This is a solid tree, I can sell it to ship builders." The second tree was delighted because it was on the way to fulfilling its dream.

When the lumberjacks approached the third tree, it was frightened, because if it were cut down, then the dream would not come true. One of the lumberjacks said, “I don’t need any special tree, I will take it” and cut it down.

Carpenters made a livestock feeder from the first tree. He was put in a stable and filled with hay. It was not at all what it was praying for! They made a small fishing boat out of a second tree. His dreams of becoming a powerful ship and transporting kings collapsed. They made a blank from the third tree and left it lying in the dark.

Years passed, and the trees forgot about their dreams. And once a man and a woman came into the stable. She gave birth to a baby, and he was put in a hay in a cattle feeder made of the first tree. A man would like for a child to have a crib, but it turned out what happened. And suddenly the tree realized the importance of this birth and the fact that it contains the greatest treasure of all time!

A few years later, a group of people sailed in a fishing boat made of a second tree. One of them was tired and fell asleep. While they were sailing, a strong storm began, such that the tree no longer thought that the boat was strong enough so that everyone was safe. Then people woke the sleeping man, he got up and said: “Calm down!”, And the storm stopped. And then the tree realized that it was carrying the King of kings in his boat!

And one day someone came to the third tree. He was carried through the streets, and people spat on the one who carried him. When they stopped, the man was nailed to a tree and lifted up so that he died on the top of the hill. When Sunday came, the tree realized that it was standing on the top of the hill and was as close to God as possible, because Jesus was crucified on it.

The meaning of this story is that when everything does not go the way you want, remember that God has a plan for you. If you trust him, he will give you precious gifts. Each tree received what it requested, but not at all as they imagined it.

We do not always know what plans God has for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always the best ways!