Gò0dNews for Everyone
Surrender the Burden
T
by Greg Grotewold
he largest and most beautiful tree in our yard
let Him remind me of who He is and who I am in Him, I
came tumbling down last week. It was felled by an
turn inward. Rather than allow His grace to produce the
early morning windstorm. Though thankful the
benefits outlined in the passage above, I invite the opposite:
descending timber didn’t hit the house and hurt anyone, it
fatigue, insecurity, and fear. At the very moment I need the
took a good day and a half to clear with the chain saw.
Lord the most, I go it alone and face a season of drought.
With the massive pile of branches now hauled away, the only remaining sign of the tree’s existence is one very large
It doesn’t have to be this way. While I don’t know that I will ever “rejoice” when difficulties come, I do pray I will
stump. As I was thinking through how best to dislodge it, I decided to take a little break and calculate the tree’s age. The task wasn’t as easy as I had initially anticipated. While distinct growth separated most of the rings, there were a couple of clusters where only upon closer examination could delineation between the seasons be made. I presume these were difficult years of unusual drought. After counting a couple of times, I estimated the age to be twenty-seven. It wasn’t until later in the day that I began thinking more about the disparity in growth. And as I did, the spiritual parallel jumped out at me. If I were to take my “spiritual trunk” and perform a cross-sectional cut, what would I find? Would the pattern match that of my tree: material
more consistently relinquish them. The few times I in fact
growth during prosperous times and negligible during
have, Jesus met me where I was and unleashed a type of
difficult? Regrettably, I expect it would more times than not.
mercy that was commensurate with the significance of the
If spiritual growth is defined as a deepening hope in
affliction. In doing so, the Lord reminded me that He was
Jesus’s sovereign goodness, Paul pinpoints the source of my
in control and had my best interest in mind. There was no
regret with great precision. “We rejoice in our sufferings,
reason to fret. But, that’s not all. Jesus also ushered in a more
knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance
profound fellowship—one whose intimacy was sweeter than
produces character, and character produces hope, and hope
the hardship was sorrowful. He showered me with affection,
does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been
producing a hope that permeated the pain.
poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5, ESV).
May I readily surrender my burdens to Jesus and avail myself of His sovereign goodness.
forfeited significant blessing. Rather than take the pain to Jesus and let Him instill a sense of peace, I run. Rather than
30 // January 2022
About The Author
I have too often wasted my suffering and in the process Greg Grotewold lives in Oakdale, MN, with his wife, Sandi, and their two sons, Luke and Eli. He is a deacon in his local church and greatly enjoys serving in this capacity.
