Several years ago,
The Wall Street Journal carried a story about Sally, an overly conscientious
youngster who made herself miserable over the smallest failures and setbacks.
Early one fall,
while the leaves were still on the trees, there was an exceptionally heavy snowstorm.
Sally’s grandfather took her for a drive and said, “Notice those elms,”
he said. “The branches are so badly broken that the trees may die, but
just look at those pines and evergreens. They are completely undamaged by the
storm. My child, there are two kinds of trees in the world – the foolish and
the wise. An elm holds its branches rigid. As it becomes weighted down, eventually
its limbs break. But when an evergreen is loaded, it simply relaxes, lowers
its branches, and lets the burden slip away. And so it remains unharmed. Be
a pine tree, granddaughter.”
Christians who
give up all their cares to the Lord can face life’s burdens much better than
those who try to bear the weight themselves.
View more sermon illustrations for inspiration for your next message.