Not To Bury, But To Elevate

I want to share with you a story I read today...


A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule was not of much value to the farmer because of its old age- it could no longer work for the farmer. One day, the mule went over to look in the farmer's well and accidentally fell in. 


The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - in other words, asking for help. 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...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

The mule began to panic, and was in a state of disbelief. But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...He could shake it off of his back and step on it. 

"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 of the dirt hitting his back, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought and continued to shake it off and step on it.

It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped up over the well. What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his problem.


Isn't that how life works? We choose what buries us. 


When life- problems, people, circumstances, illnesses, trauma, or hardship come along and kicks us to the teeth, we get angry. 


Because, it's easy to get angry and give up, isn't it?


But sometimes the things we think come along in life to bury us are the very things that elevate us. 


Life isn't all fun and games. Life isn't perfect. Life isn't living without problems and persecution and hardship. They may not be there every step of the way, but they will be there. Real life means hardships come our way. 


And it will be easy to get angry, to panic, to become bitter, and to wallow in self pity. If we allow those to determine how we handle life's hardships, we will be buried. 


You know what- it's ironic- sometimes the things we think are meant to bury us are actually used to elevate us. 


When life brings on the dirt and it starts nailing us in the back, we choose how we handle it. It's not how much dirt hits our back, but how we handle the dirt that's burying us.


Don't let the things that are here to bury you-bury you- shake it off and step up out of the dirt. 


And you'll find that the experiences you think have come along to bury you are actually there to elevate you, and bless you.


I am thinking back- and I'm still angry about some things. Depression takes a while to come out of and heal from. But it no longer controls my life- I have shaken it off and stepped up.


And I've realized that depression has not buried me- but elevated me. I overcame my darkest days, and I have been blessed because of them.


But why? Why do we experience hardships? Why can't we live a life without being buried by dirt and struggles?


I think sometimes, God gives us experiences we don't always like, but He gives us them so we can overcome them, and bless others by our own experiences. 


I'm going to write more on helping others tomorrow. But think of it this way- if we don't let our problems bury us, we can use our hard times to help others in their hard times.


And sometimes, I think, when we help other people through their problems, we are not only blessing them, but we are blessing ourselves.


My friends, I wrote this post to encourage myself and to encourage you- you choose what buries you. You don't choose how much dirt hits your back, but you choose what you do with it. Choose to be blessed. Choose to be elevated. Choose to shake it off and step up.