The official title for today’s story is “The Donkey in the Pit” but the actual story is about so much more than just the donkey; it is about the donkey’s triumph in rising up and our own triumph in rising to be who God is calling us to be.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
A poor man had very little in his life, except for a favorite donkey. One day, this man’s beloved donkey fell into a pit so far down the man could not reach his treasured animal or lift him out. The man was heartbroken.
Knowing his donkey would die, the man thought he should reduce his donkey’s suffering by burying the animal alive.
The man began to pour soil into the pit.
On the first cascade of soil, the donkey felt the pebbles on his back and started to shake. He shook off enough soil that it fell to his feet. The donkey stepped up, on top of the fallen dirt. Then, the man poured more soil onto the donkey, who again shook off the dirt until it fell to his feet, allowing him to step up to higher ground again.
This continued until the donkey had shaken off so much soil that the ground beneath him was high enough, he could climb out and return home with his owner.
How many times do we feel our problems raining down on us, threatening to suffocate us? Sometimes it’s easier to lie down and let problems cover us, easier to just give up. We want to know why God isn’t taking our problems away.
Maybe God is allowing these problems to flow our way –not to overcome us, but so we can overcome them and use them. Maybe our problems are actually there to help us step up and rise to where we need to be. And there is no better season than the Easter season to focus on rising up to fulfill our destinies.
Amen? Amen!
Watering the Seeds
Have you ever looked back on a problem and realized it offered some surprise grace or lesson?
What are you dealing with today that you’d like God to help you with?
