Parable of the Day: One Day a Farmer's Donkey Fell into a Well

John's donkey was walking in the field when he accidentally fell into the well. He lay at the bottom of the well, crying for help, but the farmer couldn't get him out. Read on to see how the donkey's fighting spirit saved him.

John was out feeding all of his animals in the paddock when he noticed that his beloved donkey, Freddy, was missing. He walked all over the field but couldn't find him anywhere.

Eventually, the farmer turned around and kept still for a moment, and then he could hear the donkey wailing in the distance. He followed the noise until he came to the well; he leaned over and saw Freddy at the bottom.

Farmer John could see the distress on the donkey's face and tried his level best to get Freddy out of the deep hole. He tried ropes and planks, but nothing worked.

Eventually, the farmer sent down water and food to keep Freddy hydrated and fed while he tried to make a plan to get him out of the well.

After three days, John started to give up because he realized that there was no way for him to get Freddy out of the well. He decided to spend one more day trying to make a plan to save the animal.

After the fourth day of trying unsuccessfully to retrieve Freddy from the well, John called his neighbors. He knew there wasn't a plan to be made, and Freddy was old; he consoled himself that the donkey had lived a long life.

The neighbors joined John in using shovels to throw ground down the shovel; they were going to fill the well up and bury Freddy in it.

At first, the donkey cried piteously as he realized that the farmer had given up and was going to bury him while he was still in the well. Then, all those shoveling dirt closed their ears not to hear the sad wails of Freddy.

But then Freddy stopped crying, and everyone peered over the edge to see why he became silent. But, instead, they saw the donkey standing still, and as they shoveled, he shook the ground off his back and stepped on it.

Freddy continued to do this as they shoveled he took a step up until he was level with the ground. Then, he looked at them, gave a neigh, and ran off to the paddock.

Like Freddy, sometimes we are given a hard knock in life, and people try to help but they eventually give up on us. But it is important to keep going, shake it off and take a step up until you are out of the deepest of wells.