I’ve always loved stories with a moral – parables like Jesus told and those of philosophical folks who have experienced life to the max. The story of the farmer’s donkey may be familiar to most of you, but I didn’t actually hear it until I was exploring pieces for my speech students to use in competition. This little story is full of so much meat. I can’t find the author of the piece, but who ever wrote it, must’ve been a great motivator.

The story is about a donkey who fell into a well. His owner, the farmer, felt the donkey wasn’t worth saving and since he planned to close up the well anyway, he decided to fill it with dirt while the donkey was struggling to get out. Most animal lovers at this point will be appalled, but aren’t we all susceptible to this kind of treatment every day?

With each shovel full of dirt, the donkey would shake it off and take a step up. The farmer even recruited his friends to pour on more dirt, but the persistent donkey continued to shake it off and step up. Eventually he climbed out of the well, because he had built his own way out.

The moral is obvious. As we go through this muddy life there will be problems. There will be roadblocks and obstacles and it will seem like we will never be able to dig our way out. If we just let the dirt fall on us we will soon become buried in it. We will suffocate and die. If we desire to live, we’ll figure out a way to overcome the deterrent.

Our country is in a state of division and anger right now. It’s time to shake it off and step up. I certainly don’t recommend getting into politics, but we still have a voice as Americans. If our voices are silenced because of a coup to destroy our democracy, we will quickly be overcome by the dirt that’s falling on us. Taking away our rights to speak freely is like shoveling on more dirt.

Both sides are equally guilty of pouring on the hate and divisiveness. There needs to be a point where we can all come together again. It begins with first going to God and praying for our nation. Then we must begin to communicate again, without anger and malice towards one another. We must be reasonable and not always on the defense. No walls will ever come down if we keep on building them stronger and higher than before. Tempers flare and reason goes out the window.

Trying to dig ourselves out of a pit of despair is physically and mentally difficult, but God gives us the means whereby we can overcome the world. It is by His hands alone that the future has been carved. He knows what lies ahead and He has a plan for everything that happens in our lives. Trusting in His unfailing grace, we can shake it off and step up