Reluctant Donkeys
In the mission devotional book used by the teams that travel to Honduras to drill water wells, one of the readings talks about the donkey. It says that a donkey is often spoken of in belittling terms and as having undesirable traits such as stupidity or stubbornness. However, donkeys have served the human race for thousands of years and were once prized as symbols of humility, gentleness, and peace and in Bible times were regarded as especially suitable for religious purposes.
Well, this started me thinking about Charlie, the donkey at our ranch. Charlie is light brown with a dark brown stripe that goes down the center of his back and across his shoulders to form a cross. Because of this cross on his back, this kind of donkey is sometimes referred to as a Jerusalem Donkey. We got Charlie because we raise goats and we decided we needed a guard donkey to protect them from dogs, coyotes, or bobcats. We introduced Charlie to the goats, and he took his job very seriously. I watched him gently pulling a baby goat out of a fence and one day I saw him running in a circle herding the goats all together during a thunderstorm. All was well with Charlie, the guard donkey.
Then one day he saw our horse Molly. It was instant attraction. He ran in slow motion through the field and, with a sick look on his face, laid his head on her flank and turned in his resignation as guard donkey. The little goats he had so carefully shepherded now became a nuisance and a liability, and when one got between him and the horse, he quickly picked it up by the tail and, not so gently, threw it.
Now I know this little barnyard story is ridiculous, but I see some parallels. I think in our own way we are all guilty of “falling in love with the horse.” While God has graciously overlooked our imperfections and entrusted us with a noble cause, we can so easily be distracted. We allow the things of this world to divert us from the path that God has set for us. Charlie, with a cross emblazoned on his back, was certainly dressed for the part. And even though donkeys have a bad reputation as being stubborn and stupid, Charlie proved that God can even use the flawed to protect his flock. Charlie just had a little problem with commitment — and he chose the wrong thing to commit to.
Hmmm. This reminds me of another story. My five-year-old grandson Chase had been especially boisterous one day, and as most of us can identify with, his mother had let some of it slide, but by the end of the day she had had enough. Wearily she said, “Chase put your shoes on,” which of course he didn’t. Again she said, “Chase, put your shoes on,” and again he didn’t. Then having reached her limit she yelled, “Chase Matthew Lee, put your shoes on.” Chase stopped in mid-stride, wondering why she had passed up some bigger infractions and focused on this one, and with all the wisdom of a five-year-old said, “Mom . . they’re just shoes.”
The reason I go to Honduras is not because I love to sweat and eat beans every meal, it’s because I occasionally have to have an attitude adjustment. In my quest to follow Christ, I am often too easily diverted and get too caught up in me. In my own way I, like Charlie, tend to “fall in love with the horse.” When I go to Honduras, I am blindsided with the fact that many people in this world are without sufficient food, adequate clothing or clean drinking water — and I think of how casually I take my easy life. How often have I traveled in my nice air-conditioned car with a large bottle of cold clean water in the cup holder on a trip to the mall to buy something I probably really didn’t need? So I have to make an occasional trip to Honduras to get my priorities re-aligned and realize, as a very wise five-year-old said, that most of the things in my life “are just shoes.”
— Karen Lee has made several trips to Honduras
with the water well drilling ministry.
She is a member of St. Christopher’s, Bandera.
Anyone wishing to be trained for participation in future Water Ministry mission trips, please contact Louis Manz at (210)492-4482 or email: lmanz@satx.rr.com
Donations to help fund future wells to:
Diocese of West Texas (marked for Water Ministry)
P.O. Box 6885
San Antonio, TX 78209
Attention: Betty Chumney
