”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, NIV).

Earlier today, I told the following story during a Celebration of Life service:

 A donkey had fallen into a deep well. Terrified, the donkey cried for hours as its owner tried to retrieve it. Unfortunately, the man realized that rescuing the animal was impossible. So, he did what he thought was the most humane thing to do. The man picked up a shovel and began throwing dirt into the well to bury the donkey and put it out of its misery.

Initially, the donkey began to panic as the dirt fell on its back. Then the donkey did an amazing thing. Every time a load of dirt fell, the donkey would shake itself, the dirt would fall to the bottom of the well, and the donkey would step up onto the dirt. This process of shaking and stepping up occurred over and over, again, until the donkey was able to step out of the well on its own.

Such is the tenacity of perseverance. Zig Ziglar once said that “It’s not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you.”

     The gentleman whose service I officiated could identify with the plight of the donkey. At the age of four, Ron and his brother were orphaned. The two boys moved from one foster home to another until they were separated. During his teenage years Ron was kicked out of foster care and spent the summer sleeping in a barn.

     With one shovel full after another, life attempted to bury Ron in disillusionment and despair. Yet through the grace of God Ron shook off the dirt and used the experience as a steppingstone toward greater things. Were he able to speak today, I believe the Apostle Paul would affirm Ron as one who became more than a conqueror through Christ.

     Through Christ. Not because of Christ or on behalf of Christ. The strength Ron had enabled Ron to rise above his difficult circumstances emerged THOUGH a Source that was not his own. In fact, the very Power that raised Jesus from death is the same Power that helped Ron realize his dreams of becoming a firefighter, a father of three, and a small business owner.

     Even more, God is prepared and eager to infuse you with strength enough to transcend whatever dirt life may thrust upon you. The only requirement that God seeks from you is a simple request. Jesus put it this way:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7).

Go ahead. Ask. What do you have to lose but perhaps a few shovel’s load of dirt?