Two Promises
Three trees stood in a forest. One was rushed through life with shattered hopes and broken dreams. Another was scarred, abused, and stained; forced to bear the reminders of a horrible life. Still, the third grew up under the vestige of one insult after another. Never given the chance to be someone. Always on the outside looking in. Three trees who had dreams. Three trees who did not believe they were worth anything. Yet, through the grace of God each discovered they were not abandoned or worthless.
These stories may be fictitious, however, in part, these stories resonate through parts of all of us. Not all of us are rushed through life to the extreme as the first tree who had dreams of grandeur, yet had to live out a life of destitute because of a rushed decision. We all face regretful actions in one way or another:
Bad decisions
Broken promises
Failed marriages
Financial calamities — the list goes on.
Often, these are actions out of our control. Actions that effect our day to day lives. We hope for some order to the chaos, some method to the madness; however, day in and day out we are destined to play a part we never dreamed.
Then there is the second life — one of scars, abuse, and stained dreams. It started with a beautiful dream. A dream of perfection and appreciation, but quickly turned into one nightmare after another. One moment — that is all it took. One incident to destroy hope. Life then becomes one of neglect and abandonment. A life put to the side or dismissed until it is needed for a superficial role. A life of broken promises, shattered aspirations, inappropriate actions, and constant rejections, that is the dream that becomes the nightmare. The toil these actions take on an individual turns a person into a life of skepticism, lack of trust, and suspicion. All because of a decision made early in life or an action done by others. They become destined to play a part in life they never wished to play.
Attitudes change
Anger
Bitterness
Distrust
Each of these attitudes and feelings dominate their lives. They do not know where to turn. Their life seems like it is in a whirlwind — never to find calmness.Then there is the life of bigotry, prejudice, and bullying. A life lived only because they were never given a chance. They were called names and told they would never amount to anything. They were reject because they were not from the right family or race. This rejection happens so often that they finally believe it is true and give in to the lie.
A lie of not being good enough.
A lie of never amounting to anything.
A lie of worthlessness.
This life is also marked by anger, bitterness, and rage. The focus becomes fear and survival instead of peace, hope, and joy. Relationships are strained from lack of trust as they analyze the meaning of every word. Doubt is always their friend.
All three lives are scarred in one form or another. All three lives show no hope for a future. They bear the scars on their heart from years of anger and pain. Dreams shattered, hopes destroyed all because of carelessness, inappropriate actions, and inconsiderate attitudes.
Three Trees Stood in a Forest Page 5