Donkeys to the Top

I was not in the Program long when a wise lady saved me.

I was sober, with many thoughts and theories about God.

God was this or was not that. God cared for us, but He was in a different dimension. God sometimes seemed good but not so good at other times. If God was all power and love, why did He allow so many suffering people? On and on it went.

Then one night at our Home Group meeting, a woman, wise beyond her years, and her years were many, solved my problem. She said, “There are many donkeys I can ride to the top of the spiritual mountain. The trick, get on a donkey and start up the hill.

“It was hard for me at first,” she went on, “but the longer I rode on my donkey, the more comfortable I became. The initial steps were rough, but I settled down and got into the animal’s rhythm.

If he wanted to take a break, so be it; I had all the time in the world. And he seemed to know the path better than me.”

She paused to sip her coffee, then continued, “I discovered something else. Riding my donkey up the path, sometimes straight, sometimes switching back and forth, my view of the world changed. As I gained altitude, my perspective changed. I saw more, and what I saw was through clear upland air. The real surprise was, changing the perspective changed me. I became calmer and more trusting of the donkey and our path as we rose higher and higher, and the world made more sense.

“I looked around, and other riders were on different donkeys and different paths, still moving upward.

But there were a few who stalled on their trail. Some were fighting the donkey, trying to get them to take a different path. Others were beating, pulling or begging their donkey to get going. And some were falling off their donkeys, failing to get comfortable with them. And a few had abandoned their donkeys and were angrily stomping back down the hillside.

“As I saw these things, I thought, it pays to relax and enjoy the view.

“Thanks, I’ll pass.”

That was the visual that allowed me to relax and enjoy the view as I road my spiritual donkey, my experience (understooding) of God to carry me up a path. And she was right. My perspective changed, my outlook changed, and the ride became easier.