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Let’s Not Have The Nature Of A Mule!

The story is told of two farmers who were riding home in a wagon one day. The wagon was being drawn by a mule and the mule was notorious for being stubborn and balking. Once he balked, it took several hours of pulling, tugging and beating to convince him to be on his way – sometimes even building a fire under him didn’t help.

As the mule began balking, the first farmer said, “You’re driving, what are you going to do?” The second farmer replied, “I’m going to talk with him – perhaps I can persuade him that we need to be traveling on.” So, he climbed down, went to the nearby rail fence and picked up a six foot cedar rail. The farmer walked to the front of the mule, drew back and hit him right between the eyes and knocked the mule down to his knees. The mule scrambled back to his feet stunned and quite shaken. The farmer reached over and gently whispered something in the mule’s ear. Then he climbed back onto the driver’s seat, flicked the reins and off they went at a brisk trot.

The first farmer asked, “Why did you hit him like that? I thought you said you were going to talk to him.” The second farmer answered pointedly, “Well, I had to get his attention first!”

Folks, that’s the nature of mules, but human beings are not to act like mules (Psalm 32:9) – they are to act like reasonable, rational, thinking beings (Isaiah 1:18; cf. Acts 17:2; Acts 18:4; Acts 18:19; Acts 24:25). Human beings should have convictions and be willing to stand with courage for what they believe (1 Corinthians 15:58; Jude 1:3). But Samuel told King Saul that stubbornness was equal to iniquity and idolatry (1 Samuel 15:23).

The Lord cannot stand “wishy-washy” or “weak-kneed” folks (Revelation 3:13-16), because such individuals have no real convictions (James 1:6-8). But somewhere between stubbornness and “wishy-washiness” lies the love for truth and the capacity to be taught. We can’t teach stubborn individuals anything (Ephesians 4:17-19) – but we can teach open-minded individuals everything (cf. Acts 2:37; Acts 9:6; Acts 16:27-30).

These days, most folks don’t ride in wagons drawn by mules, and rail fences are virtually nonexistent – but stubbornness remains ever with us – and not always in mules. If we’ve gotten your attention, allow me to whisper gently in your ear and ask that you yield your will to the will of God (Matthew 7:21), rendering obedience to Him in baptism (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:26-39; Acts 10:47-48; Acts 16:14-15; Acts 16:25-33; Acts 22:16). Then like the once stubborn mule, we can come up out of the watery grave of baptism, ready to briskly trot down the Christian road of life (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Gal. 2:2; Philippians 2:12-16; Hebrews 12:1).