Mule in the Well
Audio / Produced by The High CallingTranscript
A farmer's mule once fell into a broad well. "It's all over," thought the farmer; and, figuring the best thing was to bury the mule right there, he gathered extra workers and began to shovel dirt into the well.
The mule was devastated! She panicked at first, but then something happened. As each shovelful of dirt fell, she shook it off and stepped up. No matter how much dirt fell on her, the mule just shook it off and stepped up. Eventually, she stepped up and out of the well and walked away.
This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge, with an important principle: When life heaps dirt on you, be like the mule and shake it off! Use what's falling on you to gain footing, and keep your eyes focused upward on the light as you fulfill the high calling of our daily work.
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.