Once upon a mountaintop, 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 be 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 its way to the ocean. “I want to travel mighty waters and carry 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 mountaintop 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.”

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 his shining ax, the first tree fell.

“Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest! I shall hold wonderful treasures!” the first tree said.

“The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way.”

The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is strong. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining ax, the second tree fell.

“Now I shall sail mighty waters!” thought the second tree. “I shall be a strong ship for great kings!”

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

The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter’s shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold or filled with treasure. She was coated with sawdust and filled with hay for hungry livestock.

“The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way.”

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 sawed and hammered into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail an ocean. Instead she was taken to a lake.

The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into heavy beams and left her in a lumberyard. “What happened?” the once tall tree wondered. “All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountaintop and point to God.”

Many, many days passed, and the three trees eventually forgot their dreams.

But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. “I wish I could make a cradle for him,” her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and 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 30 years later a tired traveler and a few friends crowded into an 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 the storm. The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out a 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 kings.

One 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 condemned man’s hands and feet to her. She felt ugly, harsh, and cruel. But three days later, when the Son of God rose from the dead, the third tree knew that God’s love had changed everything. And from that day until this, every time people have thought of the third tree, they have thought of God.  ■

“God's love had changed everything.”