Wednesday, November 28, 2001

"the voice of one crying out in the wilderness." Mark 1:3

A couple of years ago, I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time. The view from the south rim was quite impressive, but I decided that someday I really wanted to see the bottom of the Canyon, and since I was two years away from my fifty-year marker, my goal would be to get to the bottom of the Canyon by the time I reached age fifty. I shared my dream with my friend Elaine, and before long we had made reservations for the mule ride. Arthritic backs, knees, and hips ruled out the possibility of making the trip on foot.

The past May we found ourselves at the corral outside the Bright Angel Lodge, listening intently to the mule driver's instructions. And before long, there we were, saddled up on Bebe and Rob Roy, making our way down the trail. In retrospect, I can honestly say I've never done anything so physically, mentally, psychologically demanding in my life. I soon determined that the ideal mule ruler would be someone in their twenties, very physically fit, and an avid horse rider. None of those words describe me!

The first few hours were the most stressful. Mules tend to walk right along the edge of the canyon, and it's a long way down. Every now and then one of the mules' feet would slip off a rock, and you would wonder what was next to slip. I was both exhilarated and scared at the same time. But whenever I questioned my sanity for choosing this adventure, I would look ahead of me, and right in front of me I could see Elaine, doing just fine.

When we have to do something difficult, when we need to take a stand for justice that's unpopular with the home crowd, it can give us great encouragement to follow someone else's lead--even if that person is only one mule's length ahead of us.

FOR REFLECTION: Who are the contemporary prophets that encourage you?

Sue Burwell

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