Shake It Off

My good friend, Dr Jenkins, shared a great story this week that I think we all can find relevant.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

The farmer invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to toss the dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well.

He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and then take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the “well” is to shake it off and take a “step up.” Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest of “wells” just by not stopping, never giving up! I also love what Jeffrey R. Holland said about the various troubles we face in life. He said, “no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.”

Shake it off and take a step up.

god bless

sam