SHAKE IT OFF

There are times in life that I am faced with situations that seem much larger than myself  I will let them get the upper hand on me sometimes when the main thing that I am needing to do is get a new prospective.  There have been times that I would bury myself in the well of despair for days, weeks and sometimes months.  Was this necessary?  No, not at all  If I would get a new prospective I could easy overcome the well of despair but sometimes I just feel stuck.  This story was in our lesson Sunday and a perfect example to us of what we need to do when we find ourselves in the well of despair.

There was once a farmer who had a donkey that fell into an old abandoned well.  The farmer couldn't figure out what to do.  He finally called all his neighbors to come over and it was soon decided that the donkey was old and useless.  The owner agreed since there was no way to get him out that they would all get shovels and bury the donkey in the old abondoned well. 

As all the neighbors bagan to shovel dirt into the well the donkey began to cry and wail but soon they could no longer hear him crying out.  The farmer looked into the well and to his surpirse with every shovelful of dirt that hit the old donkey's back, the donkey would shake his back and the dirt would fall to the bottom of the well, and the donkey would take a step up.

The neighbors kept shoveling the dirt in and the donkey kept shaking the dirt off and stepping up.  Eventually the well was nearly full and the donkey shook the last of the dirt off his back, took a step up and walked right out of the well.

I can actually remember a time where I had been in the well of despair for years.  I wrote in my daytimer that on a certain date that I had finally reached to top of the well and was able to crawl out.  I could see the top of the well for months but I couldn't seem to be able to get out of the well of despair.  As I speak with people now I am able to tell them that the main thing is to keep taking steps forward.  Never standing still, and never going even one step backwards.  It may take you months or years to get our of the well of depair, but keep moving forward.  One day you will be able to walk out of the well just like the donkey did.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:

for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,

which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James 1:12