Choose Wisely

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”Galatians 5:22-23a

“Two Wolves” – A Cherokee Parable

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life…

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

“One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

“The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

“This same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,

“Which wolf will win?”

The old chief simply replied, “The one you feed.”

A friend of mine at work recently gave me a copy of this story. As I researched for an author to whom to give credit, I found many opinions. Some said it originated as a story of an Eskimo fisherman in the 1978 Billy Graham book The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power in Your Life. Another said they first heard it at a Cherokee Baptist Church in the 1950’s in Oklahoma. I found it on the Nanticoke Indian Tribe website, and apparently it was quoted in the movie Tomorrowland.

Finally, I heard the Lord laugh—did it really matter where it came from? The day I received it, my head was in a not-so-positive place. I was having a bit of a pity party and feeling a little angry and resentful. This was a beautiful reminder of a simple truth: “For as he thinks within himself, so he is…” (Proverbs 23:7a). My thoughts toward the situation I was struggling with would make all the difference in my actions in that situation. If I let the anger and resentment I was feeling take over, it would most likely spread to those around me and almost certainly to other places in my life.

So, I took a deep breath and chose to feed the second wolf. I repented of my negativity, thanked God for the timely reminder in the form of this parable and listened to the Blessings CD we had been given at a Bible Study several years ago.

“…whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Dear Lord, help us remember that feelings are not bad in and of themselves…we all have negative thoughts and feelings at times…it’s what we do with them that counts. Help our focus to be in the positive. Since we choose which wolf we feed, give us the strength to choose wisely. May we walk in Your Spirit, and bear good fruit. Amen.