Regarding a donkey, the pasuk states (Shemos 23:5) משאו תחת רובץ, "crouching under its burden." A donkey works until it has no strength, and collapses. We should be better than animals, as we say הבהמה מן האדם מותר, "a person is greater than animals..." We shouldn't work so hard until we collapse under the work. We should raise our heads and trust in Hashem and place our pekel in His hands.
The Midrash (Tanchuma Tisa 3) states that Moshe said to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, "Ribono Shel Olam! When I die, no one will mention me!" Hakadosh Baruch Hu replied, "I swear, just as you are now standing and teaching them parashas Shekalim and you raise their heads, so will it be every year. When the nation reads this parashah before Me, it is like you are standing there, and you raise their heads."
One aspect of raising their heads is that they will discover that they can trust in Hashem, and Hashem will help them.
It states (25:31) תיעשה מקשה טהור זהב מנורת ועשית המנורה, "You shall make a menorah of pure gold. The menorah shall be made of hammered work...." On the words ֶהָׂשֵּֽיעת ָהְּנוֹרַמה, Rashi writes, ַרָמא ,ָּהב ֶּׁהַשְקִתמ ֶהׁמֹש ָיָהֶהׁש ִילְפ ֶָיהֵלֵאמ ֵיתֲׂשנַע ִיאוְה ָאוּרל ַכִּכָּרה ֶתא ֵ ךְְׁלַשה הוּא ָּ רוּ ךְב ָּׁדוֹשַקה לוֹ, "It was made by itself. Moshe had trouble [understanding how he should make the menorah], so Hakadosh Baruch Hu told him to throw the measure of gold into fire and it will be made from itself. This is the reason [it states ֶהָׂשֵּֽיעת], and it doesn't state ֶהֲׂשַּעת."
The Divrei Yisrael (this week's parashah) learns a lesson in emunah from this. When a person has troubles and is struggling to feed his family, or if he is enduring any other hardship and he is collapsing from the problem, the counsel is that he should throw himself and his problem ָאוּרל, to the fire, which is Hakadosh Baruch Hu Who is called אוכלה אש, a consuming fire. What will ensue is ֶָיהֵלֵאמ ֵיתֲׂשנַע; his issues will be taken care of on their own. As it states (Tehillim 55:23) על השלך יכלכלך והוא יהבך 'ה, "Cast your burden on Hashem, and He will support you."
A bachur came to the Nesivos Shalom, and with tears in his eyes, he said that he discovered that his tefillin were pasul. He added, "My tefillin didn’t become pasul; they were always pasul, because they weren't written correctly. Since my bar mitzvah, I never wore kosher tefillin!" The Nesivos Shalom encouraged him to be happy that from now on, he will be wearing kosher tefillin. The lesson is that if you make an error, instead of crying over the past, rejoice that you have the future.