December 17, 2020Yesterday, a friend sent me a devotional message by a brother in Christ named George Worthy (www.worthyministries.com) that contains some penetrating insights. Here is what he wrote: “Some time ago, an old mule fell into an abandoned well which was no longer in use. The farmer who owned him tried and tried to pull the mule up out of the well — however, after many attempts, he realized he was not going to be able to rescue his mule. So the farmer decided to solve two problems simultaneously— by burying the mule in the well. Tragic as it was, he would bury the mule alive, and in the process, prevent future accidents of this kind by filling up the well hole.
Taking a shovel, the man began to toss shovel fulls of dirt on the animal to bury him. However, following every toss of soil, the stubborn mule simply shook the dirt clean off his back. This caused the floor beneath him to steadily rise. The relentless farmer continued to shovel, while the stubborn mule persisted in shaking off the annoying dirt. This mutual perseverance eventually raised the mule up to ground level, where he could happily walk out of his impossible predicament … free at last.
We all have, somehow or other, fallen into a hole a time or two. Some of us give up after a few attempts to escape, resigning to a state of imprisonment in our predicament — but this is not God’s intent for our lives. His will is for us to persevere — become stubborn like a mule — fight, kick, and continually toss the dirt off our backs — until we get out of the hole!”
Yesterday morning, a strange thing happened to me. After my daughter drove me to the office (our mechanic was installing a new muffler on our car), I reached into my coat pocket for my keys and couldn’t find them. I checked all my pockets and there were no keys. Before I got out of the car, Bethany asked me if I had my keys and I quickly replied “Yeah” but now I realized that I should have made sure before getting out of the car. I went back to the corner where I had gotten out of the car, hoping that the keys were on the road. They weren’t. I called Bethany and she drove back to meet me.
As soon as I opened the car door, I saw the keys on the floor between the door and the seat – what a relief! That was not the start to the day that I had expected. Inside my warm office, I realized how blessed I am to have a loving family and a living relationship with the Creator and Sustainer of life.
Scripture for the weekend: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (NASB)
Thought for the weekend: “There is a hunger in the human heart which nothing but God can satisfy. There is a thirst that no one but He can quench.” – David Roper (from “The Lord is My Shepherd” published by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Steve