Nearer Than You Think

Many of you have read the story about the old mule that the farmer decided had out lived its usefulness. It had worked his fields for years going in circles tending crops and he decided to retire the old mule out to pasture for the good service it had given him. However on the day the farmer was going to do this thing, the old mule fell into a deep abandoned well on the property that had gone dry. The old farmer said to himself, "Poor fellow, he deserved better than that." Yet the old mule started doing what it had always, which was to start walking in circles inside that old well. The more he walked the more the soft ground grew harder until finally he had made himself walk out of the well. The old farmer could not believe what he saw. How could the old mule ready for retirement have enough strength and stamina to do such a feat? Simply put, the old mule did what it always did-keep on walking regardless of the terrain until somebody said, "Whoa." Nobody told it to stop, so it kept doing what it knew to do until it reached the top.

Some points from this old story I think will encourage you today. Please read them very carefully and let them sink into your heart.

(1) There will be detractors along your way. They will say you are too old, too young, too experienced, too inexperienced, too qualified, or not qualified enough. Regardless of how hard you work they want to decide what your fate is. Don't let them-be your own person.

(2) There are plenty of abandoned wells in life. It's a hole somebody dug before you and you are left with the task of filling it in. Or it's a place you did not discover until you found yourself trapped in it. It happens to the best of us and to the worst. Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, you fall in and feel trapped with no way of escape. It is in those times you wonder if you will thrive or even survive-but don't give up.

(3) There is a way back to the top, but you have to be willing to find it. Again, that's not always easy to do. Sometimes you feel you are just walking in circles and nothing seems to change. Can't you imagine what the old mule saw? Nothing but wet, clammy dirt all around. But it never stopped him from continuing on his journey. He kept on walking until the wet, clammy dirt became solid ground and he climbed out at the top.

Life may knock you to the bottom of the well. You may be in a place you didn't ask for or even a place you don't want to be, but keep on walking and don't stop. The top is nearer than you think.