A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the
farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do when
they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer
sympathised with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was
worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbours together and told
them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old
mule in the well and put him out of his misery. Initially, the old mule was
hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbours continued shovelling and the
dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every
time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP
UP! This he did, blow after blow.
"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step
up!" He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or
distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right
on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted,
STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury
him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his
adversity.
Remember that FORGIVENESS--FAITH--PRAYER-- PRAISE and HOPE...all are excellent
ways to "SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which we find ourselves!
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Daren Bullock
http://www.youthpages.org
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.