The Tale of Three Trees has been retold and highlights familiar human traits.  This ficticious moral tale for children describes the ambitions of an olive tree, an oak tree and a pine tree.  Each of these trees had individual dreams, like a life plan people so often formulate and hope to realize. 

The olive tree imagined itself being carved into a magnificent treasure chest which would hold gold, silver and very precious jewels.  When a woodcutter distinguished this particular tree among all the tress around, the tree obviously felt extra sprecial. It was sold to a craftsman who began to shape it into something the tree soon understood wasn't to be a treasure chest.  Instead, the olive tree was carved into a trough for stinky animal food. You can surmise this tree was devastated at its apparent fate.  It believed it would never realize its dream to be appreciated at a higher level.  This tree felt degraded, almost compared with the gutter.

The oak tree also had a dream.  This tree envisaged becoming integrated into a glorious ship that would ferry important people like royalty across great bodies of water.  As this tree was cut down, you might speculate it was excited, feeling that much closer to realizing its dreams.  But alas, as time passed, this oak tree realized he wasn't destined to be part of a great vessel.  Instead, the woodworkers shaped the oak tree into a puny, non-descript fishing boat for one person.  Of course, the oak tree was deeply saddened by fate. The other dream wasn't realized.

Now the pine tree grew on a distant mountain and was pleased to act as a beacon for travellers on their journeys.  Its ultimate dream was to remain where it stood tall so that it could continue to guide people who felt lost.  Yet, unbeknownst to this tree, Mother Nature had other plans.  A huge storm led to a lightning bolt splitting the pine tree.  The future looked like a complete disaster.  A lumberjack eventually came by and took the dead tree to a wood scrap pile. It seemed as if its dreams were long since forgotten.

And yet, just when we feel the most discouraged, this is when we can realize that our idea of destiny may not have been what was planned for us at all.

As it happened, if you know any Christian history, you will recall how Mary and Joseph had baby Jesus in a stable, for the inns were all full.  They used a particular animal trough as a manger in which they put clean straw.  The olive tree had desired to hold precious jewles, but it turned out to be destined to hold a thing far more precious, a rather unique and cherished human life.

As Jesus grew up, there came a time when he desired to cross a river.  He didn't choose the most elegant or the largest ship for his journey.  He was a man of simplicty and chose the small fishing boat.  This enabled the oak tree to carry the king of kings, when it had originally had a far mroe limited vision for its destiny.

Years passed, and a group of Roman soldiers were rummaging around in scrap wood piled.  They chose the character of the severed pine tree to carve the cross on which Jesus was eventually crucified.  That tree was shaped into a symbol that continues to guide and assist people.

This tale reminds us all of our own inner value.  We're also drawn to realize that each of us has rather limited ideas of our abilities and potential.  The plan and purpose you think you're meant for in this lifetime may not turn out to be the real reason why you're alive.  You may in fact, be present for things you couldn't ever hope to anticipate.  Thus, it makes sense to learn to rethink disappointments.  After all, you're being prepared for even more fulfilling roles and experiences.