“A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' -or- whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule 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 mule in the well and put him out of his misery. Initially, the old mule 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 every 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!" No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought against panic and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly out of the well.”
The above story illustrates a great truth about dealing with life’s troubles. It is a simple declaration that the mule espoused in order to overcome any trouble successfully: Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" No one likes any troubles along the way but unfortunately, life is filled with them. Can anyone stop them from coming or interfering with life? I’m sorry to say, no one can. But somebody said, “What we cannot change, we must learn to manage well!”
Jesus said it in a good way when He spoke about these troubles and tribulations that men will encounter: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33, ESV) He has a promise that we can hold onto whenever we faced different sorts of problems. But the most important attitude to take on is to have a complete assurance that no one is ever alone in facing any battles. God is with us! Life is similar to the four seasons that we enjoy in Canada: summer, fall, winter and spring. Each has distinct characteristics that we cannot do anything to change or improve about but seems all right as we go on our lives. They have their cycles of arriving right on time. Although unpredictable at times, yet we cope up successfully.
Thus, always remember that life has different seasons as well. No one knows what’s next to come if it will be for us or against us. What matters is not how huge the struggle is ahead of us but how we face them with a firm attitude that nothing shall deter you from conquering it with God’s help. His promise is ever so true that He will never leave us nor forsake us. And if He has been faithful to many bible characters of old in the past, then He will be faithful also to us today and tomorrow. In the same way as one song declares, “There is no problem too big that He cannot solve it and there’s no mountain too tall that He cannot move it.” God has never let anyone down and He will never ever will.
Somebody said, “The important thing about a problem is not its solution, but the strength we gain in finding the solution.” Whatever situation we are facing nowadays, consider it as an adventure to see how God will provide the way out when we fully trust Him to do so. Never forget that we don’t receive anything that is beyond our capabilities. They are all common to us. It only becomes hard when we try to do it on our own especially when we don’t have to do it by ourselves. Even people that are very close to us can never provide the most excellent solution that God alone can offer. He will make a way when there seems to be no way. He always does and He will never fail.
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