There was once a farmer whose mule fell into an abandoned well. Since there was no way to get him out, the farmer decided, sadly, that he'd have to bury him there. But when the first shovels of dirt started landing on his back, the old mule became hysterical. Then this thought struck him: "Just shake it off and step on it" - so he did! Hour after hour as the dirt fell on him, the mule kept encouraging himself with the words, Just shake it off and step on it.
No matter how painful the blows or how desperate the situation, he just kept shaking it off and stepping on it, until finally, battered and exhausted, he stepped triumphantly over the wall and out of the well.
Life can either bless you or bury you; the difference is having the right attitude toward it. Paul had it: "in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). David had it too: "Through Your name we trampled down our adversaries" (Psalm 44:5).
So when dirt is thrown on you - and it will be - just shake it off and step on it. Use it as a fertiliser and grow stronger. Listen: "Be strong and let us fight bravely... the Lord will do what is good" (2 Samuel 10:12). Did you get that? If you do your part, God will do His. As long as you stay on the battlefield, He can give you the victory. But if you quit, what more can He do for you? So stay in there...
- taken from the Servants of Jesus Youth and Singles Newsletter
