The Donkey

I just got this email. I know it has circulated alot, but the story still holds a strong message.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously 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.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel 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 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 steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.


When things don't go the way we plan or hope, it's easy to stress and get buried under all the bad in life. This is such a special season and family is so important- the physical stuff all fades away. There's so much to stress about, but for the most part, it's not worth it. For instance, our SUV was stolen a few weeks ago. Yeah, it sucked big time. Especially since I had gone to storage that day and loaded it up with irreplaceable pictures and memories and items from my childhood. I can't get those things back and it was really hard to accept that- and it still stings when I remember more and more of what was in those boxes. But then I can see the bigger picture. There is a reason that it was taken- I don't know it yet, but the Lord does. And that's who we have to trust - otherwise it's a blind path.
They caught the guys that stole it- although the car and the items are gone. A week or so after it happened, I began to realize that I still have the memories of what made those items so precious to me- and I will always have them. It makes me treasure the new memories I am making daily with Puneet and my family and friends.
God has a plan for us even when we think it's just a bunch of dirt on our faces. Of course it's a little stressful to have to buy a car unexpectedly too, especially around the holidays. But I have prayed about this so much and have a peace about it. You may see me tulin' around town in a re-vamped old ice cream truck, but it's got 4 wheels! :)
So I hope this encourages you- take that pile of dirt and turn it into steps in the right direction!