The trouble tree
A farmer hired a carpenter to help him restore an old farmhouse and had just finished a rough first day on the job.
A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start.
While the farmer drove the man home, he sat in stony silence.
On arriving, he invited the farmer in to meet his family. As they walked toward the front door, the carpenter paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.
When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward while walking the farmer to the car. They passed the tree and the curiosity of the farmer got the best of him. He asked him about what he had seen him do earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again. "Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."
As we read this story, I wonder how many of us could use a trouble tree? Our days can be full of troubles and problems. We live in a very stressful time and often work at high pressure, high stress jobs. So often there is nothing that we can do about having those types of days. But what we can do is to make sure that we do not bring these type of days in our homes! This is where we have to find a type of trouble tree. The trouble tree will remind us to leave those bad times outside the home. I have seen so many families begin to crumble because of the daily stresses that are brought into the home. Listen, your family does not need that! If you do not like having days as this, then why would they! We have to find other avenues than our family to release our tensions. Our homes should be a place of peace and safety, a place where we can relax, unwind and enjoy our family time. I have seen people in the past that wonder why the family no longer comes to the door to greet them. Could it be that they just want to see you and not your long line of problems that arose from the day? Don't miss understand me. I do not mean that families should not discuss their day. Discussion is good! But bringing the anger, the pressure and the tension of the job is not. Again this is why we need some type of trouble tree to hang our bad days on when we get home. Remember that God has given us a family, and it is our responsibility to take care of them. One way to do this is to hang our bad days on our trouble trees and greet the family with smiles and kisses. If we can learn to do this, our homes will be much happier places. God bless you is our prayer. Please come and visit us at Monterey First Free Will Baptist Church. Let us help you find this life in Christ. Don't forget to see our website at:
www.tnaccess.com/users/montereyfwb, Please visit our new page called "Story's for the Soul". You can also email us at (montereyfwb@tnaccess.com) or write us at First Free Will Baptist. Box 115 Monterey TN. 38574. Let us know if you enjoy our articles.