Letting go your unfulfilled dreams….

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Shalom friends!

We are stepping into yet another new week. A week filled with dreams, hopes and expectations.

Recently, I came across a timeless story titled the “tale of three trees”. I’m sure some of you would have heard this story before, but its worth repeating. So here’s the tale, with a personal twist of mine!

There are 3 main characters to this story, namely the Olive tree, the Oak tree and the Cedar tree. Once upon a mountaintop, these little three trees were sharing their lofty aspirations to one another. Each had a great vision about its future and wanted to become something special and valuable in life. The Olive tree looked above the starry skies and proclaimed “I want to be made into a masterpiece, a treasure chest holding the world’s finest and most sought after treasures.” The Oak tree gazing intently at the great oceans, shared its desire, “I want to be an enormous ship, travelling the mighty waters, carrying dignitaries. I will be the most famous ship in the world.” Finally, the Cedar tree looking around the magnificent view, declared its noble dream, “I don’t want to leave this mountaintop at all! I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me they will lift their head heavenward and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world!” So as years passed by, these three trees grew up.

One fateful day, a woodsman came to the mountaintop. In a split second, with a swoop of his shinning axe, he struck the Olive tree. The Olive tree was so thrilled that its dream was about to be fulfilled. But alas, the woodsman had other plans for it. He used the Olive tree to make a manger to house food for dirty smelly animals. The Olive tree’s dream shattered. He felt demeaned and worthless. Likewise the Oak tree was chopped off and fashioned into a small fishing boat. Too small and too weak to sail an ocean or even a river, he was taken to a little lake. Every day he brought in loads of dead, smelly fish. The Oak tree was in despair. One stormy day, the Cedar tree was struck by a bolt of lightning and came crashing to the ground prematurely and was carried away to the lumberyard.  “What happened?” the once-tall Cedar tree wondered. “All I ever wanted to do was stay on the mountaintop and point to God.”

With their dreams shattered, the three trees felt worthless. As days passed by, they abandoned their lofty aspirations. But God had other plans for their future. In fact, He had envisioned a soaring destiny for them.

One night golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the manager. Suddenly the Olive tree realized it was holding the universe greatest treasure of all time – baby Jesus!

A few years later, a tired traveller and his friends needed a boat to cross over the lake. They boarded into a small boat. Soon a thrashing storm arose. The little boat shuddered. He knew he did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and rain. Then the traveller stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, “Peace.” The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the Oak tree knew he was carrying the King of heaven and earth!

One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when it was yanked from the forgotten woodpile. It flinched as it was carried through an angry, jeering crowd. It shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands to it. It was on this Cedar tree that Jesus was crucified! The Cedar tree was used by God as an eternal emblem pointing people to God’s love and compassion to this day! This is better than being the tallest tree in the whole world.

Like the three trees, you may have disappointments and dreams that did not come to pass. Jesus said that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over”. To borrow a fellow blogger’s quote “nothing significant happens in kingdom unless death occurs”.

Just like I used to be, you may be robbed of God’s future for you because you are still trapped in those unfulfilled dreams and expectations. Dwelling long in that place of disappointment, all it will bring is only gloom and darkness. It will hinder your growth and get in the way to realize your God-given destiny.

Dear friends, I urge you, let today be the day when you let go of your unfulfilled dreams. God cannot usher in His perfect plan and purposes for your life until you loose grip of what holds you captive. Bring those broken dreams to the feet of the Father instead and entrust them into the loving hands of Jesus. Then, step back and watch new beginnings unfold in your life!

Be amazingly blessed,

Suzan

Tale of Three Trees adapted from – http://filsg.com/smf/index.php?topic=1526.0