A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well.  After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer 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. Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But, as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and throwing dirt on his back a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back he should shake it off and step up. This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up!” No matter how painful the blows or how distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought against panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up! It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly out of the well.

In Jeremiah 16:19 we find that Jeremiah is feeling much the same way. Affliction is great among God’s people to the point he believes unbelieving gentiles will come from the ends of the earth to mock them. In such a wicked day as we live no doubt we feel this same pressure. You are serving God with all you have yet at times we find ourselves trapped in a pit. Satan sees where he can destroy us and brethren/family sees no value in us and tries to bury us. But by God’s grace just as the mule we can shake it off and use their dirt to rise up out of our pit. Determine today that with God’s strength I’m using Satan’s tactics, my past failures, and criticism from others to rise up out of my pit where I can serve Jesus.