By Fred Gillett, Crystal Cathedral Pastor
"...You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up."
-Psalm 71:20b
The farmer's old mule fell into an abandoned well and there was no way to rescue her. Not wanting his faithful mule to suffer, the farmer decided to get a shovel and cover her up with dirt. It was more humane than leaving her to starve to death down in the well.
As the farmer shoveled dirt into the well, every time a shovel-full hit the mule, she'd shake the dirt off her back and trample it under her hooves. The farmer worked all day shoveling dirt and the mule worked all day shaking off the dirt and trampling it underfoot. She didn't give up even though the dirt kept flying at her. She just continued shaking and trampling, shaking and trampling, shaking and trampling until the dirt was high enough to allow her to escape from the well.
Sometimes, when we feel so far down that we can see no way out, it seems like a lot of dirt is thrown at us. Yet, we have a choice: Let it bury us or shake it off, trample it down, and rise above it. Shaking isn't enough; we have to trample it down so we can rise above it. Otherwise, we'll be mired in the dirt ourselves.
We just need to pray for the strength to shake it off and trample it down and the faith to keep on keeping on.
Prayer: Father, thank you for offering me opportunities to shake off the painful parts of life to rise up to you and your will for my life. Amen.
Devotion: When have you felt like the mule, trapped with no way out? How did God help you to rise above your negative situation?
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