Groaning Is Temporary; Singing Forever

Autumn leaves do not fall from the tree - - they are pushed. The tree has to cast off anything that would rob the new life to come of nourishment and water. And so, by force, the tree is laid bare. Frigid temperatures will come. Gray branches will be entombed in ice and some of them will be broken. The fallen leaves will decay to feed the earth and foster new growth.
The path to resurrection is not easy. It is not a delicate wafting on a gentle breeze toward a soft, earthy bed. In the beginning, Adam and Eve appear to have come to life without pain, but all of life since their rebellion has been preceded by pain - - sweat, blood, and struggle. And a resurrected life is preceded, of course, by physical death.
I began this thought with trees because I see in Scripture an intriguing parallel between the believer's journey toward new life and that of the earth's. I see the Gospel in every corner of creation. 2 Peter 3:10 says that "the earth and the works done on it will be exposed," or "laid bare." In Isaiah 48:10, God is talking to His people and says, "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction."   Change comes to the earth by means of great violence. Floods, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes - - all of these things expose, lay bare and make way for new growth. For us it is affliction, pain, struggle, trials - - these things expose the sin in our hearts and lay them bare before God so that we can be conformed to the image of Christ; so we can be transformed into new creatures. Grief, sorrow, fear - - all of these things assault our minds and emotions. A spiritual, emotional trial can cause physical pain or illness because we are a joining of spirit and body. Randy Alcorn, in his book entitled, Heaven, points out that a human being has never lived who wasn't both spirit and body. In Psalm 63, David says that his soul thirsts for God; his flesh faints for Him. We relate to our Creator by both means. When my mother passed from this earth, I hadn't considered Heaven much, and so I thought I had lost her. I experienced a flood - - a fire, a violent grief that pressed on me and roiled inside. I suffered physical pain and mental anguish. But I know now, those things were birth pains moving me, by force, toward real life. I know that God had a beautiful purpose in my groaning. Romans 8:22,23 "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." 
I don't mean to make light of human affliction.  As believers our walk toward the day of our resurrection is a time of pruning, and casting off and pruning hurts. Casting off, cutting away, cannot happen without pain.  The apostle Paul knew about suffering. He spent many years "kicking against the goads." Living a life outside the will and blessings of our Father-Creator is agony. I'm sure, like most of us, he didn't realize what he was missing at the time but he soon found out. He was blinded, stopped dead in his tracks by the light of Christ. He was imprisoned, tortured, and hunted down like an animal. He spent most of his ministry in prison, sometimes physically ill, sometimes hurt and betrayed by those he loved and trusted. He also endured the knowledge that his brothers and sisters in Christ were being persecuted and murdered for their faith. And yet, in 2 Corinthians 4:17 he makes this amazing statement:  "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
His circumstances, to me, seem unbearable.  He acknowledges them to be afflictions but says they are "light" and "momentary." They are "light" and "momentary," not in comparison to someone else's afflictions or to some worse afflictions that he conjur in his mind - - but compared to an "eternal weight of glory."  In fact, he says that this current affliction is "preparing for us an eternal weight of glory."  Not that it is preparing us for that glory but the other way around, as if every trying circumstance is a sort-of glory-brick, building the Kingdom of Heaven. Every time we, as God's people, endure a trial by His grace, strength, and wisdom, His will is being done on earth and the Kingdom of Glory expands.
So back to the tree. Christ, our tree of life, cast off his glory to come down to earth. He was broken and He bled and then He died. He cried in agony - - in human pain. He was and is a physical man. He had a nervous system, a circulatory system and, as a result, suffered the effects of a slow loss of blood and felt the piercing of his flesh. He endured the shame that should have been mine. Now He is making me ready for Heaven - - for a yoke that is light and an easy burden - - an eternal weight of glory. So I am happy as He casts off my deadness to make way for new growth. I don't wallow in shame, but I swim in grace as He lays bare my sin and prunes the chains that enslaved me to it. I know my brokenness is only temporary - - a way for Him to put me back together as I was meant to be. Tombs of ice will melt in the light of the Son. Groaning is temporary, but "I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever." (Ps. 89)