One day, a donkey fell into a pit. The animal cried and whined for hours while his owner tried to figure out what to do. Finally, the farmer decided that since the animal was old, and the pit needed to be covered up anyway, he’d just bury the old donkey right there. He got a shovel and started filling in the pit. The donkey kept up its wailing, but then fell silent. After an hour of furious shoveling, the farmer paused to rest. To his amazement, he saw his old donkey jump out of the pit and trotted away!
At first, when the donkey realized what was happening, he cried even more piteously. But then the wise animal hit on a plan. As each shovel of dirt hit his back, the donkey would shake it off and take a step up on the growing mound of earth. Eventually, the mound grew high enough for him to jump out of the pit.
Life is going to throw many piles of dirt on us, it is your responsibility to shake it off and step up. If we think about it too much, a small problem can seem large. We have to shake, stomp, and stand. When something bad happens at work, you can either let it weigh you down or you can let it go. Your destiny is to great to be distracted by people who don’t like you.
Ronald Reagan once said, “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.” When we let things go, we allow God to provide. We have to understand that God is right not giving us all the supply that we need for this day. He is our wisdom.
Psalm 55:22 tells us, “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” Are you carrying any burdens today? Are you allowing the stress of the day to weigh you down? We are called to be supply-focused and not demand-focused. When we allow all of our trouble to drain us, we are not shaking them off. Take time to thank the Lord for all that he has done. Refuse to dwell on everything wrong and stay focused on the solution. Instead of getting bitter and upset about what you don’t have, take time to appreciate what you do have. It is God who sustains us.
People need encouragement. When life throws dirt at us, let’s be like that donkey and shake it off. It’s time to shake, stomp, and stand. Shake off your burdens and give them to God. Stomp knowing that God is working everything out for your good. The dirt that was intended to bury you can be the same dirt that lifts you higher. Finally stand strong knowing it is God who sustains and empowers us.