When I was a young Cyprus sapling raised from a seed, my mother told us stories of the great Ark that Noah built and how many of our ancestors were honored to be used as the wood for that Ark. My brother trees and I would often get in deep discussions about how we would end up being part of some great ship or building that would ultimately change the world. We talked about how we would be such a valuable part of a structure so important that the stories about events that happened there could not be told without mentioning the structure itself. We dreamed of the day we would be used to construct something important.
Many years passed and then one day some men came and chopped myself, my brothers, my mother, and some of the other trees down. We were hauled off. You can only imagine our excitement as we neared the town of Bethlehem. What great and majestic structure would we help to create? We couldn't wait, but alas, we were taken and placed behind some carpenters workshop in the little town of Bethlehem. Most of us stayed there for years, sometimes being used to mend a fence or a roof of a local house. Slowly my brothers and my mother disappeared and I was alone with some of the other trees from the forest.
One day a local Inn keeper came to see the carpenter and told him that he wanted to expand his stable. He explained how he wanted to make it bigger and more useful for his family as well as his guests. A price was agreed upon and I was sold to the Inn keeper. With the help of the carpenter, we created an addition to his stable. It wasn't anything fancy, just some extended walls and a new roof to help keep the animals warm. I was placed on the top of this stable and was used as a support beam for the roof.
This was not where I was supposed to be. I was bound for greatness. I was supposed to be used as a magnificent finishing touch to a grand structure, or the supporting beam of a ship or temple, not this tiny stable in the town of no wheresville Bethlehem. Here I was though, at the top of a stable looking down on the donkeys, chickens, pigs, and that food troth, or what I believe they call a manger.
For a year I looked down upon the straw and hay, the donkeys and camels that visited the Inn. I watched animals eat from the manger and even saw the Inn keeper come out and nap in the hay every once in a while. It wasn't a very fascinating job but it was my job.
One night however it got interesting. It was the week of the census that was being taken and a lot of former residents and their families came to Bethlehem. The Inn was full, I could tell by all the donkeys that were in the stable and the loud noises that came from inside. There was also extra hay in the stable because of the addition animals and people. As it got dark outside, I noticed two people, a young man and his pregnant wife come around to the stable. To my surprise, they put their donkey aside and started to make a bed out of the hay. The Inn Keeper's wife came out and helped. She brought food and soup, blankets and a lantern. It was kind of exciting to actually have some people staying in the stable.
They both were really tired and fell asleep quickly. I wonder if she will give birth in the stable. I wonder if the baby will be important. Could this be the reason why I was chosen to hold up this roof?
Is this my shining moment, a part of this small stable in Bethlehem?
No comments:
Post a Comment