The parable is told of an old dog that fell into a farmer’s well. After assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the dog but decided that neither the dog nor the well were worth the trouble of saving. Instead he planned to bury the old dog in the well and put him out of his misery.
When the farmer began shoveling, initially the old dog was hysterical. But as the farmer continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It dawned on the dog that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back he should shake it off and step up. This he did 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 how distressing the situation seemed, the old dog fought panic and just kept shaking it off and stepping up! It was not long before the dog, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well.
What seemed as though it would bury him actually benefited him - all because of the way he handled his adversity.
There are times when we have “fallen into the wells of life” and find it difficult to get out. If we use our difficulties as stepping stones and not stumbling blocks, then we can step out of our problems. Over the long haul this makes us stronger.
James says it this way, “Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations; Knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing” ( Jam. 1:2-4). Paul declared, “And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness” (Rom. 5:3).
Beloved, “shake off the dirt” and “step out of the wells of difficulty.”
Think About It! (Another gem from Tom Moore).
Have A Great Day!
Mike
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