Don't Kick The Donkey!

The early morning mist absorbed the golden rays of dawn as a mother hen and her nine chicks scurried under my feet, rushing to get a drink of water. I tasted the dust that exploded into the air as the brown wool blanket was thrown across my back. I staggered and shifted from leg to leg as the weight of my owner
pressed my feet deep into the earth. The cool morning air burned my nostrils as I stepped out of the stable, into the barnyard, and eventually found my footing in the cool clay of earthen soil as we continued in the path known as the Way.

Suddenly, standing right in front of me was a man clothed with the brightness of the sun! His golden sword was drawn, his eyes were like flames of fire, and because I was in mid-stride, I accidentally took a step forward as he pressed right against my nose!

With eyes opened wide, nostrils flared, every hair on my back standing straight up - I prepared myself to die. As seconds leaped into eternity, all time seemed to stand still as my owner began to beat me to press forward. The muscles in the forearm of this Angelic Warrior begin to tighten, and I knew that if I did not move, he was going to kill my owner!

With all my strength, I rushed off the path and into the vineyard as my owner was screaming at the top of his lungs beating me to slow down and move back to the well beaten path of the way. Moving between two walls I thought I finally had found a place of safety, when without warning the Angel of the LORD was once again standing in front of me with his chest pressing on the end of my nose! Out of fear I threw myself against the wall, crushing my owner’s foot as he continued to beat and swear at me!

Finally, I came to a narrow place where there was no place to turn around and once again the Angel of the LORD stood before me, and all I could do to protect my owner was to fall down onto the ground while my owner continued to beat me with his staff and
swear!

As I was thinking to myself “Why are you beating me? Can’t you see that your life is being threatened?”

When without warning, I realized there were words coming out of my mouth!

I said, “What have I done to you? Why are you hitting me?”

My owner said, “Because you have made me to look like a fool in front of these other men! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!”

I said, “In all the years you have ridden me have I ever acted this way before?”

My owner’s countenance went from anger to fear, from rage to terror as he saw this Angelic Warrior for the very first time, and he heard him say:

“Why have you beaten your donkey? Do you not realize that you are going against the Lord, and if it was not for this humble loyal donkey - you would be dead and it would be alive?"

Moral: Don’t Kick The Donkey!

Remember - the very thing that is hindering and stopping you, may be the very thing that God placed in your path to save you from danger, destruction, and death.