A Life Lesson From a Mule
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. 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. He enlisted their help to haul dirt into the well and to bury the old mule to 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: Every time a shovel of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up. He did this, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up... shake it off and step up... shake it off and step up," he repeated to encourage himself.
No matter how painful the blows or distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought off panic and kept right on shaking it off and stepping up.
It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped over the wall of the well.
Although it seemed as if the dirt would bury him, it actually served as the way out of his dilemma- all because of the way he handled adversity.
As it is with life: If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us have the potential, instead, to lift us up.
*Saw this story in a Newsletter in the Mail from CBROC
Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened. He enlisted their help to haul dirt into the well and to bury the old mule to 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: Every time a shovel of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up. He did this, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up... shake it off and step up... shake it off and step up," he repeated to encourage himself.
No matter how painful the blows or distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought off panic and kept right on shaking it off and stepping up.
It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped over the wall of the well.
Although it seemed as if the dirt would bury him, it actually served as the way out of his dilemma- all because of the way he handled adversity.
As it is with life: If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us have the potential, instead, to lift us up.
*Saw this story in a Newsletter in the Mail from CBROC
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