A little story for provoking thought.... A parable is told of a a farmer who owned an old donkey. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer hear it "braying' or whatever donkeys do when they fall into wells.

After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the donkey, but decided that neither the donkey nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old donkey in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old donkey was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that ever 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 donkey, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

This is a key to one of the mysterious of life. If we face our problems and respond to them positively and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us!

It is up to us to remember to develop the ability to forgive, forget, and press toward the mark. We need to keep developing our faith, our hope and our ability to love unconditionally. These are the tools which will help us "shake it off and step up" out of the wells in which we find ourselves.