"Finally, brothers and sisters, 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." (Philippians 4:8)
I recently attended a church function where one of the speakers told this story:
There was a young Navajo boy who had been acting very badly. His parents asked him why he was acting this way, but he was at a loss as to why his behavior had deteriorated. They told him to seek out the wisest person in the tribe and ask that person to help him discover the nature of his problem.
The boy decided to visit the wisest person he knew, the tribal chief, who also happened to be his grandfather. "Grandfather," the boy asked, "do you know why I have been acting so bad lately?"
The wise old man replied, "There are two wolves that live inside you. A good wolf and a bad wolf. The good wolf causes you to be obedient, loving, kind, generous and forgiving. The bad wolf causes you to be disobedient, hateful, bitter, angry and selfish. These two are always at war with each other."
The little boy looked at his grandfather with concern on his face. "But Grandfather, which wolf will win?"
The old man said, "The one that you feed."
This parable illustrates a great scriptural concept. Paul instructed us to think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Why? So we could go around looking at the world with rose-colored glasses? Of course not. He knew that our minds are the portals to to our spirits. What we feed into our minds goes directly into the very essence of our beings. In Romans 12:2, he tells us to transform our minds because the battle between good and evil starts in the thought processes. James also discusses this in his epistle (James 1:13-15).
If I want to produce a life characterized by the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.), then I need to feed my mind with those things that are aligned with those virtues. I need to surround myself with positive people who are loving and encouraging, and who exemplify the virtues I want to emulate. I need to expose myself to positive, uplifting books, movies and other media that help me foster goodwill toward my fellow neighbor rather than plant seeds of doubt, despair or suspicion.
Likewise, the only way I can starve to death the "bad wolf" is to avoid exposure to those influences that cause me to harbor envy, bitterness, anger and selfishness. I need to filter out the messages of this world which tell me that I should look out for me first, or that I should eat or be eaten. I need to avoid toxic relationships with people who live on a steady diet of complaining, bitterness and negativity. I have to practice the art of forgiveness (it is truly an art that takes a lifetime of practice to master). I need to let go of the past, and release those who have hurt me from the bondage of my grudges. I need to release myself from the chains of regret for the things I failed to do, and instead focus on what I can still do with my life during the time that God grants me. I have to avoid comparing myself to others who seem to have it better than me, and learn to be grateful for the undeserved blessings that God has allowed me to enjoy.
One of the most important truths that I took away from this parable is that I alone am responsible for choosing which wolf to feed. No one else can feed my good wolf or my bad wolf. They may place the food in front of me, but I am responsible for accepting or rejecting it. I can blame no one else for my failure to nurture the good wolf or starve the bad one.
Which wolf are you feeding?
Have a blessed week!
Pastor David
