Have you ever tried to dig a hole deep enough to plant a small tree? If you have, praytell: Have you ever tried to do so, not utilizing a shovel, but rather, a pick-axe? Let me tell you, it’s not as easy as one might suspect.
Now imagine you are standing in the most stubborn, angry type of mud that could be found in Eastern Europe. Just to paint you a beautiful picture, every step you take across the ground suctions this mass to your feet, clodding up every miserable and meandering step you take. Every few moments you have to stop what you are doing to dig this cement-like mass off of your traumatized shoes. Oh yes, and I suppose you also know that you are digging several-foot holes for hundreds of trees, correct?
What, you didn’t know that?!
I didn’t start out with this particular tool, rather, once all the others I was using had either broke or epically failed at life, I found this particular beast, lying forlorn on the ground. Once I picked it up, I realized why no one was using it — it weighed 500 pounds! However, convinced I could make better use with it than my bare hands, I launched an onsalught on the stubborn earth.
Right beside me, Don was having a similar difficult situation with the shovel he was using. It didn’t seem to matter how hard he plunged the shovel into the ground, very little seemed to be budging. Of course, the shape of the spade itself didn’t help, since it was pretty much just a flat piece of metal screwed on the end of a handle. And, I’m not exactly sure if I mentioned this before, but the ground might have actually been kryptonite. I don’t have this on official authority, but I have a pretty good intuition about these things.
As my pick-axe began breaking up huge clods of clay/mud/bedrock, things began to get a little cluttered. Sure, I was breaking up the earth, but there was nothing I could do to clear it out of the hole besides get on my knees and scoop it out with my hands. I glanced over at Don and the work he was doing, and I began to think, “Wow, I could really use his shovel right about now.” Being the hard-worker that he is, however, he seemed singularly focused on the task at hand, and I didn’t want to say anything to him about it, even though I knew he would gladly let me use his shovel and probably even do it for me.
However, I focused back on the futility in front of me, growing more and more agitated.
Honestly, isn’t there a more efficient way to plant trees?!
Isn’t there a more efficient way to dig up dirt?!
Why does Bulgarian soil have to be the Hulk Hogan of all earth’s soils?!
I felt a little bit like I was in God’s video game and He had just changed my character’s setting to every available handicap, while simultaneously giving away all the power-ups and cheat codes to my gritty opponent.
Just as I was reaching the peak of frustration, Don slammed his shovel into the ground. Looking at the work that I was doing, then back at the work he was doing, he smiles and says,
“So Shannon, what do you say we work out a little system here?”
I felt as if the angels of heaven ripped open the sky, belting out Beethoven and the Hallelujah chorus.
Yet, so as not to affect the points on my cool factor, I simply said,
“Sure… that sounds good.”
Don then asks me, “So… Would you rather use the pick-axe or the shovel?”
“Um… I don’t really care, it doesn’t matter to me.” I say, trying to be agreeable.
“Why don’t I use the pick-axe? You can use my shovel instead.”
Once again, I was overwhelmingly thankful.
The next thing I know, we are flying through a task that once seemed so staggering. He breaks up the soil much better than I could, and once it has been pulverized, I simply scoop it up. Rotating between the hole he was digging and the hole I was digging, everything got done so much faster. Soon, we were moving on to another tree, then another, then another. We were even able to dig some extra deep holes for the larger trees that everyone else was avoiding like the plague, getting several large ones done together so much faster than I could plant one small one by myself.
Somewhere in this process, God taught me a very important lesson:
We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. We all sometimes get stuck in situations where, despite our best-intended efforts and our willingness to stick it out, we just don’t have the proper tools to get through it by ourselves. The more we purpose in our hearts, “I’m going to do this on my own” the more we get frustrated and let the sitatuation overcome and get the best of us.
Even when I knew I needed help, I didn’t ask for it. Did I know I wasn’t getting anywhere on my own? Absolutely. But we can always cloud our mind with reasons why we don’t let someone else carry our burdens and help us with our problems. For me, I didn’t want to burden my teammate, who was working hard himself. But deep down, I knew he would have readily helped me. Why is it we so often wait until the last minute to ask or accept help from someone we know is eager to help us?
As I was standing in front of all this futility, I felt straight out of Ecclesiastes 4:8:
There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless-
a miserable business!
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless-
a miserable business!
Then, as Don, observing both our struggles, extended his help, Ecclesiastes 4:8 so quickly changed to Ecclesiastes 4:9:
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work.
because they have a good return for their work.
God taught me a great deal of truth from this little tree-planting exercise.
As Americans, our identities can be so built around the idea of independence. However, independence is not 100% right in every situation. One thing I feel like we have never emphasized enough in the west is the need to rely on other believers who desire to bear our burdens and carry us through hard times. Whether it is physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, or financial is of no concern. We may be capable of carrying ourselves through, but is it for our own good and edification?
I have heard many stories in my life of athletes who played games thorugh broken bones, torn tendons, and excruciating pain. Even though their tenacity is admirable, they ended up ruining their careers or setting them back for seasons that they might have played if they would have only said, “Coach, I need someone else to do this.”
Seriously though, this is coming from the same girl who broke her leg so badly it was twisted backwards. In my stubborness, I refused to believe it was broken, as if my own willpower could heal it. I cracked my mangled limb back into place and walked nearly a quarter of a mile before I found someone. The doctor later told me if I would not have set it myself or walked on it, I wouldn’t have had as many fractures and I surely wouldn’t have broken all the tendons and ligaments that I did. If I would have called out for help instead of taking matters into my own hands, I might have avoided a major surgery, a minor surgery, three days in the hospital, and an entire summer of doctors visits, casts, x-rays, pins, and metal plates.
If there is one person who needed to truly learn the lesson God spoke through trees and mud, it’s Shannon Kathleen Morgan. However, I wanted to share this with you because I know this is more than just my own issue.
Please, if you are struggling with stressful situations, pain, sorrow, frustration, loss, anger, or anything else in your life today, reach out to those who will help you to have a good return for your work. Together.
The pick-axe I was trying to work with was too heavy for me, so my friend took it for me. And the frustrating, fruitless shovel Don was exaspertaed with was something I was more than willing to take for him. And together, carrying each others “burdens”, we found a good return for our work.
Life was not meant to be lived alone, neither did God leave us here on planet earth to figure things out ourselves. In His gracious, almighty wisdom, He gives us fellow believers and friends to carry this load together.
My dad used to share this illustration, which is actually a proven, scientific fact:
One donkey that can pull only 500 lbs., linked with another donkey who can pull only 500 lbs. will, together, pull over 2,000 lbs.
So, find your donkey today, and don’t let yourself become burdened with weight that a fellow brother or sister desires to carry for you.
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
–Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
