Brushwood And Gall

The story of brushwood and gall is one of the favorite stories that can be found in every curriculum of formative education in Chinese culture. About 2500 years ago in China, Goujian, the king of Yue was captured by Fuchai, king of Wu, and was forced to serve at Fuchai’s horse manger as a slave. His diligence and pretended servility won his freedom three years later. Upon returning to his kingdom, every night he slept on brushwood and every morning he tasted the bitter gall, to remind himself of his humiliation and to motivate himself for a revenge. Sure enough, he later mobilized a well-trained army and destroyed the kingdom of Wu. This story in “The Book of History” has since inspired everyone who seeks a revenge to live a lifestyle of brushwood and gall. Not just for avengers, but also for those who have any ambitions in life, they are inspired as well by the brushwood and gall as well. Indeed, anyone who feels his life as terrible as a horse slave and wants a change, would know exactly where to get started: his bed and his breakfast. This brushwood and gall story has since become the standard motivational story for all Chinese school children.


In such a time of global competition, many people have found fresh inspiration from this ancient story of “no pain no gain”. Chinese parents often push their children to suffer pain in developing talents, the more the better. Live a life of brushwood and gall may help develop some talents, but the end product may be a person of high skill with mean spirit. They are fierce fighters and not gentle lovers. They may be competitive in business, but hurtful in relationship. This kind of training may not help them win this life, as it is written, under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. (Eccl. 9:11 ESV) Worse yet, this training will push them deeper into sin, and farther away from the kingdom of God. For God does not value your talent and your skill, but your capacity to love and to forgive.


God does not command us to a life of ease. Anyone who does not work hard and suffer pain would certainly waste his life away. Without the story of brushwood and gall, how can we be motivated to suffer in life? Do you know we Christians are called to suffer too? Apostle Paul told the Philippian church, For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, (Phil. 1:29 ESV) The cross is the business card for Christ, the visible sign of His church, and the mark of pain and suffering. Comparing to the pain on the cross, the pain from brushwood and gall is like a piece of sweet cake. Here is the real difference between the two: The self-inflicted limited pain of brushwood and gall is for preparation of assault, and once make the kill and let opponent suffer loss, then the breakfast menu would be permanently switched from gall to donuts. The pain of brushwood and gall is to stoop and conquer and self-serving in the end. Meanwhile, the pain of the cross is just the opposite, it is self-denial for the benefit of another and pain even unto death. When people hear about the story of brushwood and gall, they all want to taste gall. When people hear the story of the cross, how many would want to taste this cup?


When Christ first drank this cup for the world, this is His prayer, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matt. 26:39 ESV) Self-denial is to submit oneself to the One above. Since Christ has blazed the trail, more and more people are walking on this way of cross. They are easy to spot, because they are willing suffer pain, even more than those brushwood and gall motivators, yet they have nothing to contend for in this life, as they yield all rights to all people. We are willing to be a hiker on this way of cross, because we believed the word of Christ: Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (Jn. 12:25 ESV)

Prayer: O Lord! Thank you for calling us out of the march of brushwood and gall, and to follow you on this way of cross! Help us go from strength to strength, grace upon grace, that we shall run and not be weary, we shall walk and not faint!