Putting Our Lives in God’s Hands

a story about trust as told by sister marguerite stewart

A story is told of a forest that was home to many different types of trees. 

Growing beside each other, they began to talk about their hopes.

The first said: “When I get cut down I hope to be a cradle, to hold a baby, because cradles are the center of attention as they hold the precious child.” 

The second tree stated that when he was cut down he wanted to be made into a sailing yacht to carry rich and famous people to all the harbors of the world. 

A few moments paused, and the third stated quite humbly, “When I get cut down, my hope is to be a sign post to direct people along the right path.”

Time went by and, before long, the three trees were cut down and taken off to the mill for processing. 

Soon a man came and took the first tree. He made it into a trough to hold feed for sheep and cattle and donkeys.

Another man came to the mill and took the second tree. He turned into to a simple fishing boat. 

And finally the third tree was bought by a centurion. It was made into a cross for punishing criminals.

It would seem that none of the hopes of these three trees was fulfilled.

It was not long, however, on a cold winter's night, that a young man and his wife came along. The wife was pregnant, and they had nowhere to stay. They were offered a stable to make as their home for the night. Inside the stable lay the simple feed trough. The mother was Mary, and she gave birth to her Son that night. “And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.” To this day that manger has become the center of attention in our homes and churches.  

The child grew up, and He was the Christ. He walked the streets proclaiming the good news. The simple fishing boat became His platform from which He spoke His message of peace. “Jesus got into one of the boats — it belonged to Simon — and asked him to push off a little from the shore. Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowd.”

This Jesus challenged people to change their ways, but they wouldn’t listen. They dragged him outside the city and hung him on the third tree — the one that had been made into a cross. “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree.” This third tree had wanted to be a signpost and, indeed, it became the greatest signpost of all time.

The three trees all had plans … hopes. But they could not have foreseen nor planned the wonders that were actually in store for them. As we put our lives in God’s hands, especially during these unprecedented times, let us trust in the goodness and wonders that He has in store for us.