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Muleheaded Mercy: When Stubbornness Meets Grace

 


🫏 “Muleheaded Mercy: When Stubbornness Meets Grace”

Out on the dusty plains of 1870s Wyoming, where the wind preached louder than the circuit riders and the coffee was strong enough to sanctify a sinner, there lived a mule named Clementine. She belonged to Widow Hattie McGraw, a God-fearing woman with a spine of steel and a prayer life that could shake the rafters.

Clementine was no ordinary mule. She had opinions. She had boundaries. And she had a spiritual gift for standing her ground—especially when Hattie needed her to move.

One Sunday morning, Hattie hitched Clementine to the wagon for the long ride to the revival meeting. The mule took one look at the dusty trail, the rickety wheels, and the tambourine-wielding preacher in the distance—and sat down. Right there. Like a sanctified statue.

“Clementine,” Hattie sighed, “we are not skipping church again. The Lord sees all, even your stubborn behind.”

Clementine blinked. Swished her tail. And remained unmoved.

Hattie, undeterred, pulled out her Bible and began reading aloud from Proverbs: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes…”

Clementine snorted.

“…but a wise man listens to advice.”

The mule stood up.

And just like that, muleheadedness met mercy. Because sometimes, the Lord doesn’t move the mountain—or the mule—until we speak truth with love and a little sass.

✨ Frontier Faith Takeaway:

  • Stubbornness isn’t always sin—it might just be discernment in disguise.

  • Grace doesn’t always gallop in; sometimes it plods, pauses, and waits for the right verse.

  • Even the most muleheaded among us can be moved by Scripture… eventually.

📚 Curated References:

  • Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

  • Job 39:5–8 – A divine ode to the wild donkey, cousin to our mule heroine.

  • “The American Mule” by J. McClure – A historical overview of mules in frontier life.

  • “Revival Fires and Frontier Faith” – A collection of sermons and anecdotes from 19th-century prairie preachers.

  • “Animals in the Bible” by R. K. Harrison – A theological look at beastly behavior and divine lessons.

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