The second tree said, "I want to be used to make a beautiful
ship – the largest and finest ship in the world. One that will carry a king."
The third said, "I want to grow tall and straight and point
people to God."
The years passed. The trees grew. One day a woodsman came to the
mountain. He looked at the first tree and said, "Ah, here is just what I need!"
And he chopped it down and took it down the mountain to his workshop.
Then another woodsman came to the mountain. He saw the second tree
and said, "Yes, this is exactly what I need for my purpose." The tree was cut
down and taken down the mountain to the woodsman’s workshop.
Then the third worker came to the mountain. He saw the remaining
tree, shrugged and said, "This is just as good as any, I guess." And he chopped
it down, dragged it down the mountain and cast it onto a pile of other chopped trees.
What a horrible disappointment! The first tree, whose heart’s
desire had been to be a royal treasure box, had been made into a feeding trough and sold
to live out the rest of his existence in a small, humble stable. The second tree, instead
of being made into the largest and finest ship in the world, was chiseled into a small
fishing craft and sold to a simple fisherman and his family. And the third tree, whose
only desire was to grow tall and straight and point people to God, was now lying in a heap
of chopped wood.
More years pass. Our small fishing boat is resting along the
seashore. He hears a voice – "May I use your boat to speak from? The crowd is so
large and they are pressing in on me." And into the boat steps the King of kings.
More time passes. The third woodsman goes out to his pile of chopped
wood, picks out our third tree, crudely cuts away at it and puts the pieces together to
make a cross. A man is crucified on that tree. And that symbol of the cross has been
pointing man to God ever since.
