Once upon a mountain top, three little
trees stood and dreamed of what they
wanted to become when they grew up.
The first little tree looked up at the
stars and said: "I want to hold treasure.
I want to covered with gold and filled
with precious stones. I'll be the most
beautiful treasure chest in the world!"
The second little tree looked out at the
small stream trickling by on it's way to
the ocean. "I want to be traveling mighty
waters and carrying powerful kings. I'll
be the strongest ship in the world!" The
third little tree looked down into the
valley below where busy men and women
worked in a busy town. "I don't want
to leave the mountain at all. I want
to grow so tall that when people stop
to look at me, they'll raise their eyes
to heaven and think of God. I will be
the tallest tree in the world.

Years passed. The rain came, the sun
shone, and the little trees grew tall.
One day three woodcutters climbed the
mountain. The first woodcutter looked
at the first tree and said, "This tree
is beautiful. It is perfect for me."
With a swoop of the shining axe, the
first tree fell. "Now, I shall be made
into a beautiful chest. I shall hold a
wonderful treasure," the first tree said.

The second woodcutter looked at the
second tree and said, "This tree is strong.
It is perfect for me." With the swoop of
his shining axe, the second tree fell.
"Now I shall sail mighty waters!" thought
the second tree. "I shall be a strong ship
for mighty kings!"

The third tree felt her heart sink when
the last woodcutter looked her way. She
stood straight and tall and pointed bravely
to heaven. But the woodcutter never looked
up. "Any kind of tree will do for me." He
muttered. With a swoop of his shining axe,
the third tree fell.

The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter
brought her to a carpenters shop. But the
carpenter fashioned the tree into a feedbox
for animals. The once beautiful tree was
not covered with gold, with treasure. She
was coated with saw dust and filled with
hay for farm animals.

The second tree smiled when the woodcutter
took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing
ship was made that day. Instead the once
strong tree was hammered and sawed into a
simple fighing boat. She was too small and
too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river;
instead she was taken to a little lake.

The third tree was confused when the wood-
cutter cut her into strong beams and left her
in a lumberyard. "What happened?" The once
tall tree wondered. "All I ever wanted was to
stay on the mountain top and point to God.

Many, many days and nights passed. The three
trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one
night, golden starlight poured over the first
tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby
in the feedbox. "I wish I could make a cradle
for him," her husband whispered. The mother
squeezed his hand ans smiled as the starlight
shone on the smooth and the sturdy wood.
"This manger is beautiful." She said. And
suddenly the first tree knew he was holding
the greatest treasure in the world.

One evening a tired traveler and his friends
crowded into the old fishing boat. The
traveler fell asleep as the second tree
quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a
thundering and thrashing storm arose. The
little tree shuddered. She knew she did not
have the strength to carry so many passengers
safely through with the wind and the rain.
The tired man awakened. He stood up,
stretched out his hand, and said "Peace."
The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun.
And suddenly the second tree knew he was
carrying the king of heaven and earth.

One Friday morning, the third tree was
startled when her beams were yanked from the
forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was
carried through an angry jeering crowd. She
shuddered when soldiers nailed a man's hands
to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel.
But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and
the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the
third tree knew that God's love had changed
everything. It had made the third tree
strong. And every time people thought of
the third tree, they would think of God.
That was better than being the tallest tree
in the world.

Author Unknown

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