One day a farmer’s old donkey fell into an abandoned well. The poor animal cried and heehawed pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided that since the animal was old and crippled and the well needed to be covered up, the best thing to do would just be to bury the old donkey in the well. It just wasn’t worth it to try to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried out in protest. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he became quiet. After a few minutes, the farmer looked down into the well and was amazed at what he saw. With every shovel full of dirt that was tossed on his head, the old donkey would shake off the dirt and take a step up. The farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt, but each time the donkey did the same thing — shake it off and take another step up. Before long the dirt level reached the top of the well and the old donkey stepped over the edge and trotted off, heehawing for joy! He was grateful for the neighbors, for if they had not shoveled dirt on him he would never have been able to reach higher ground.

The moral of the story is this: In life, people are going to shovel dirt on you; all kinds of dirt. The key to surviving is to shake it off and keep stepping up. The devil wants to bury us in self-pity and bitterness. He wants us to quit and give up, but God wants us to persist and keep on going. God wants us to use every trial as a stepping stone to higher ground. We can get out of life’s deepest wells by seeing each trial as a test allowed by God for our good and for His glory.

Joseph was put into a pit and then sold into slavery by his brothers. After being exalted in Egypt, Joseph told his brothers, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

So, don’t let the critics and their criticism stop you. Be like the old donkey and shake it off and step on it. Keep on keeping on and refuse to give up! God can take what was meant for evil and use it for good!