| A farmer’s old mule fell into the farm well. The farmer heard the
mule braying wildly, which is what 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 the mule. So 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, and naturally, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him—every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up! And that’s what he did, dirt blow after dirt blow. "Shake it off and step up," he kept repeating to encourage himself. "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 panic that tried to rise in him and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up. Though in some ways it seemed like forever, it wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well. Not only had he overcome his adversity, but he was now confident that whatever came along in the future he could handle.
It's the same with life. If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, we’ll usually find that within the adversities that come along to bury us, God has placed the potential to benefit and bless us. Remember that forgiveness, faith, prayer, praise, and hope are all excellent ways to "shake it off and step up" until, like the mule who wouldn’t give up, we step over the wall of the well where we thought our adversities were going to bury us.
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What seemed as if it would bury him, actually blessed him, all
because of the positive manner in which he handled his adversity.