June 2025 On The Side: Work Hard and Let Go

Photo by Markus Spiske via UnSplash

by Shelly Wyrick

I'm all about the June garden – proof of life emerges from seeds priorly planted. Blooms bloom, and early harvests hint at the bounty to come. The hours of planning, planting, and weeding begin to pay off.  Yet, no June garden arrives without the work of April and May. The soil was uprooted, turned, and laid down bare. Sprinklers were repaired and readied for the dry season. Along with the idea of a bountiful harvest came the reality of work, sweat, and dirt. Yes, there was work to be done and while there is still work in June, it’s matched with a sense of letting go, letting grow. 
 
Wendell Berry’s “Sabbath Poem X” reads,

 “... By our ten thousand days of work. 
Harvest will fill the barn; for that 
The hand must ache, the face must sweat.
And yet no leaf or grain is filled
By work of ours; the field is tilled
And left to grace. That we may reap, 
Great work is done while we're asleep."

 
Work hard and let go.  As medical spouses, we see some hard work start to reap rewards in June. We have residents, along with their families, moving across our country to step into their careers. Medical students, some with the gruel of boards behind them, are taking a well-deserved break before diving back in, or making their own big moves to begin residency next month. Hard work and harvest abound. 
 
The inclination is to work hard and then hold tight. What I've built, I'd like to command. Yet the Bible encourages us to work hard, not for ourselves, but for God. Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." 
 
Parenting is a classic case of working hard and letting go. Just the other day, I drove my nearly graduated 18-year-old to school. She was heading out to her state softball tournament later that morning. Getting out of the car, she scanned the area and murmured, "Ok… I have my school bag, my water bottle, my overnight bag, my softball bag, and oh yeah, my phone…" To which I interjected, "You have everything you need inside of you." She looked up, paused and replied, "Okaaaaay…. wasn't expecting that." We shared a smile and off she went.
 
But she does. We do. We are schlepping around with the power of a God who can do whatever He wants through us. We may be tilling for what we cannot see right now, but holding on to hope that it will sprout and be bountiful—loosening soil, turning it over, doing the hard, dirty work that we know is right, despite having no fruit for our labor. Perhaps there's an area of your life that's in the tilling phase. I want to remind you that your good hard work is seen. Those prayerfully-made decisions matter, and God is delighting in your ultimate pursuit of Him. God, the perfect gardener, is mighty in you, He is your helper (2 Cor 13:3).
 
I cannot make the seed grow. I must bury it in the dirt and step away. Eternal impact will be made as we do our part and let Him do His. How and when He is glorified through our lives is up to Him. If we work hard and hold tight, we limit the outcome. Instead- I'm learning that we need to work hard and get out of the way. We are merely God's vessel, keeping in mind that it is not "I who live but Christ in me" (Galatians 2:20). If God wants to be glorified today through us, then He will be glorified. Our job is to work hard wherever we are and trust Him so He can move through us. 
 
There is no job too small for hard work, when you apply the love of God to it. And we can take on a calling of any large size, knowing we have what it takes, because God has what it takes.  
 
Heavenly Father, we lift our work and our roles as medical spouses to you. Give us the grit to work hard at both simple and complex endeavors because we are working for You. At the same time, help us to hold this work loosely, acknowledging that we are mere vessels of Your surpassing power. Amen!
 
 Shelly Wyrick lives in beautiful Washington state.  She is a physical therapist turned stay-at-home mom who enjoys art, writing, running, and fly fishing with her family.