A Story About a Donkey

Yesterday, a couple from church called to offer encouragement and prayer over me before I left. After hearing their words, I knew God had spoken through them.

They shared with me:
Psalm 18 (Go read it, and you can't help but be more in awe of the God who rescues!)
and this story:

An old farmer was walking into town, with his donkey trotting faithfully alongside him. His donkey had been with him since he bought his first farm, but now was too old and tired to carry him. So they sauntered together down the dirt trail as the old farmer hummed a despondent tune.

They were nearing the edge of town, when the donkey misstepped, and, trying to right himself, tripped a second time and fell head-first into a very deep and ancient well. Surprised and distraught, the farmer gazed down at his donkey and considered the situation hopeless. "I'm old, the donkey's old, and the well's old. Best, let it be the donkey's resting place."
So the farmer continued into town and gathered all the men and shovels he could, to help give the donkey somewhat of a proper burial inside of the old well.

The truth was, the donkey was, although shaken by the sudden fall, still very much alive and trapped inside the well. So, when the clods of dirt started raining down on him, he shook them off, annoyed, and stamped his feet. More and more shovelfuls poured over the edge of the well, and the donkey kept shaking them off. After a while, he realized the ground below him was getting higher with each time he shook the dirt off his back, and he could step up on this higher ground! So, he shook off the dirt, and stepped up. Shook off the dirt, and stepped up.

Soon, he neared the well's opening and he could hear the voice of the farmer. "More dirt, men!" the farmer called. The loads of dirt and rocks piled on quicker and heavier than before. The dirt stung the donkey's eyes and the rocks dug into his skin, as he struggled to shake off the dirt and step up onto the next level of ground. He caught glimpses of the cloudless sky above and knew he was almost free. "Last load now," the donkey heard the farmer's voice go hoarse and the farmer commence into a coughing fit.

The donkey pushed hard against the ton of dirt, propelling dirt clods into all directions and splattering the astonished faces of his gravediggers. Reactions of "What the..?" then, "Look Marv!" broke out among the men. The old farmer's shovel slipped out of his grasp, as he stared wide-eyed into the face of his donkey. The donkey shook himself off one last time and gave a loud bray. The farmer scratched his head, astonished at this unforeseen miracle, "Well, I'll be darned..that's some determination" He went over, patted the donkey's back, and grabbed the muddy reins. "Let's go home, boy." [And they did.]

******

So, whether we find ourselves at the bottom of a well or seemingly being buried alive, we can trust that God will use adversity in our lives. Trials test us and we have a choice to rely on God's power in our weakness, helping us to step up and out of the pit, or to give up hope and end up suffocating on something that was intended to strengthen and empower us. When we choose to trust God with our trials and to deliver us from our enemies, he indeed rescues and brings us into the light of his promise and plan for our lives. Each trial forms us more into the image of Christ.