Surrender the Burden

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Surrender the Burden

by Greg Grotewold

The largest and most beautiful tree in our yard came tumbling down last week. It was felled by an early morning windstorm. Though thankful the descending timber didn’t hit the house and hurt anyone, it took a good day and a half to clear with the chain saw.

With the massive pile of branches now hauled away, the only remaining sign of the tree’s existence is one very large 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 growth during prosperous times and negligible during difficult? Regrettably, I expect it would more times than not.

If spiritual growth is defined as a deepening hope in Jesus’s sovereign goodness, Paul pinpoints the source of my regret with great precision. “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5, ESV).

I have too often wasted my suffering and in the process forfeited significant blessing. Rather than take the pain to Jesus and let Him instill a sense of peace, I run. Rather than let Him remind me of who He is and who I am in Him, I turn inward. Rather than allow His grace to produce the benefits outlined in the passage above, I invite the opposite: fatigue, insecurity, and fear. At the very moment I need the Lord the most, I go it alone and face a season of drought.

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

more consistently relinquish them. The few times I in fact have, Jesus met me where I was and unleashed a type of mercy that was commensurate with the significance of the affliction. In doing so, the Lord reminded me that He was in control and had my best interest in mind. There was no reason to fret. But, that’s not all. Jesus also ushered in a more profound fellowship—one whose intimacy was sweeter than the hardship was sorrowful. He showered me with affection, producing a hope that permeated the pain.

May I readily surrender my burdens to Jesus and avail myself of His sovereign goodness.

About The Author 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.