Two Wolves
I received
this short story from my wife, who got it via email from her sister in
Two
Wolves
One
evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside
people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2
"wolves" inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance,
self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority,
and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility,
kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and
faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied,
"The
one you feed."
I thought
this was a great analogy of the way God and satan fight for our souls.
Actually, let me re-phrase that---this is a great analogy of the way we feed
God and the way we feed satan. Let's take a moment to see how people in
the Bible feed either one.
We get
inspiration to feed God from the psalmist who said "Oh, how I
love your law! I meditate on it all day long." Just plain thinking about God and His
laws is food for Him. He loves for us to think about him. Here is
what Paul tells us "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything
is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have
learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And
the God of peace will be with you." Meditating on the goodness of Life which God
has given us, is praise to Him. But do note that Paul said to put what
you know into practice. That is much better food for God, than just
thinking about it, or Him.
Who do you
know in the Bible who has put into practice the feeding of God by his or her
actions? Whew, the list is long. And conversely, who in the Bible
can you mention you have been feeding satan by what he or she has done?
Another real long list. Let's look at one or two stories and let's see if
we can figure out who is being fed, God or Satan.
Turn to 2nd
Samuel, if you will, chapter 11, and read starting in verse 2. Don't stop
reading until you get through verse 27 (the end of the chapter).
Done? Good...now continue here---> Great story, huh? Who
was our big hero feeding here? God or satan. Well the answer is
fairly obvious. The Evil One. I saw the Wolf named Evil getting
fed---David displayed envy, greed, arrogance, lies, false pride, superiority
and ego. But wait, David is a man of God---how could he have done
this? How come you lie? How come you steal? How come you
covet? How come you display false pride? Same answer----we are Evil
Wolf.
Did you
notice how David got started on his long list of sins in this story? He
started with something so simple as lust. He saw a woman bathing, and
just had to have her. So, what did he do? Lied, cheated, was
deceitful, and even murdered another human being. I dare say he was
stoking the fire up real high on some good venison for satan. But we
never do anything as bad as that, now do we? Maybe we haven't murdered,
maybe you haven't committed adultery, and maybe you haven't even lusted.
I doubt the last one, but maybe you haven't. Have you, however,
stole? Told a little white lie? Cheated on a test? Exceeded a
speed limit? Intentionally ran a stop sign? This
little tidbits all add up to a grand feast for Mr. Evil Wolf. And you
know how wolves eat---they aren't satisfied with just a little, so he just
keeps hanging around your table because he knows he will get more and more
juicy food in the near future. Like David, sin can grow in us, from the
innocent white lie, to things as bad as stealing, fighting, and even
killing. Don't let Evil Wolf survive around you. Get rid of food
that he likes.
Let's go back
now, and read another story, the one that follows this tale about how David
fell and fed Evil Wolf. If you are still in the same spot you left off,
continue there (this would be 2nd Samuel, Chapter 2, verse 1. Before you
continue reading this email, read from there through verse 25. How did
David feed Mr. Good Wolf? I am going to let you answer that, you don't
need to hear it from me. You will notice that simply repenting is not
always good enough to get what you want, or to make up for what you did.
The child David had with Bathsheba DIED. No amount of praying could take
that away. Mr. Good Wolf was still hungry. Not until David
completely gave into God and completely trusted Him, did Good Wolf get his fill
for the day.
We like to
think that merely repenting each day of a sin we did the day before is good
enough. It isn't. Repentance, as you all know, means to stop
feeding Evil Wolf and start feeding the Good One. Simply stopping the
feeding of Evil Wolf is not enough, as he is going to linger at your table
until you finally wear down enough to give him some more tidbits. No, you
HAVE to start feed the Good Wolf, God. The more you feed Him, the more He
returns the favor, like he did David---gave him a
Demonstration
of love for others is a great start. "Yum", says God.
Talking to God every morning and night in prayer. "Mmmm,
delicious." Sharing your life alongside Jesus with
others. "Burp", excuses the Lord. Read God's word all the
time, and meditate on it. "Mmm, mmm, good". Confess your
sins to another soul-mate, as well as to God. "Almost full",
says God. Serve the poor and care for widows and children.
"May I now leave the table, I am done."
Yes, the Two
Wolves story says a lot. So do the two stories we read in 2nd Samuel
today. They both warn us about who we are feeding. A stray dog or
cat will hang around you as long as you keep feeding them. Personally, I
would like to have God around me, rather than satan. How about you?