Allow me to share with you an interesting story told during church service today.
There once lived a donkey that accidently fell into a large, deep well while it was happily frolicking through the planes. Frightened and anxious, it cried out as loud as it can until it became hoarse. When the farmer realized what happen, he tried to figure out how to save the donkey. He thought, and thought, and he thought somemore. He couldn't think of a safe, inexpensive and reliable way to save his donkey. So he decided to fill up the well with dirt and let the donkey die. The well was of no use now and he couldn't save his donkey.
He gathered the villagers and asked for their help to fill up the well. Thus, the strong, brawny lads of the village, each with a shovel in their hands, start digging up dirt to fill up the well. When the donkey saw the level of dirt getting higher, inch by inch, it realized that it's fate has been sealed unless it finds a way to escape.
The men continued their shovelling and filling. After a while, no sound came out of the well. Out of curiousity, the farmer peered down the well. Much to his amazement, he saw his donkey standing on the pile of dirt. He quickly took a shovel, dig up some dirt and threw it down the well. When the dirt fell on the donkey's back, the donkey simply shook of the dirt and took a step up. The men were in utter shock. They continued filling up the well with dirt, and the donkey continued shaking it off and taking one step up. Shake, step, shake, step, shake step.... when the well was fully filled with dirt, the donkey was out of the well, and it happily skipped away to the grassy fields.
Moral of the story: Let's be honest. Life is always going to deal you a bad hand and throw dirt at you. Just shake it off, and take a step up.
An army chaplain hung this sign outside the door:
"If you have any problems, come to me and I'm wiling to listen. If you don't have any problems, come to me also. I wanna know how you do it."
There's a side in us that nobody sees. People may look happy and contended but that is because each one of us suppresses our troubles deep inside us, and not let it show. Each of us faces problems, troubles, hardships...albeit different ones for each individual. Some people face problems in finances, some in love, some in friendship, some in studies, some in work... Those who say that they don't have problems are living in denial. And if they really don't have any problems, I sure wanna know how to achieve that kind of life.
Humans are born to suffer as the sparks fly upwards. That cannot be change. However, we can change the ways and methods used to approach the problems. ATTITUDE. Everything happens for a reason. Every trial occurs to teach us a lesson that we need to learn, and if we don't learn that lesson, we'll be forever stuck in a never-ending, vicious cycle. Shake and step. Shake of the dirt and take a step up. If we can face problems in a positive way, it helps build character. So be positive and don't let the devil take too much credit. That's what I learned in church today. Now.. if only I can apply it in reality, I will never be a sourgrape anymore.
Sidetrack...
My dear friend and coursemate Sakinah hits the big 2-0 today. Happy birthday!!!! I miss you loads and hope you'll have a wonderful year in Australia. I miss shopping with you, watching BLEACH with you, just chilling with you, chatting with you, late night suppers with you and the gang.... Sigh good friends are hard to find, especially one that know you so well, until he/she can read your mind. =p. Happy birthday again and may God take care of you always.
