Shake It Off!

Over the weekend, I actually heard my pastor say that we need to be stubborn mules! Now, before you start to question my pastor, let me explain. He told the story of a man who owned a donkey that fell into a deep hole. The hole was so deep that he could barely see the animal. With regret in his heart, he decided to bury the animal, for he knew not how to get him out of the hole. So he got a shovel and began to shovel dirt onto the animal. After an hour, the man peered into the hole to see how much more he had to go and was surprised at what he found. Not only was the animal not covered up, but he had started to rise. This was a stubborn mule! Every time the man would throw dirt on the animal's back, he would shake it off, stamp it into the ground, and stand on it. Our pastor said we need to be stubborn mules! When life dumps dirt, gossip, stress, worry, whatever on our backs, we need to shake it off, stomp it to the ground and stand on it.

We need to get to the place where we realize that life is less about our circumstances and more about our attitudes. It's less about what's "fair" or "unfair," and more about our response to the things that come our way. Jesus told His disciples that very thing when He said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world," (John 16:33). Jesus warned His disciples that life wouldn't always be fair, but in those times they could have peace and joy when they remembered that it's not about what problem is staring us down, but who lives inside of us that counts. When Jesus is inside of us, peace and joy can be ours if we determine to shake off the bad and stand on it.