Within each of us is a battle. A battle which is waged day in and day out. A battle that determines the good, the bad and the ugly of our actions and reactions. I find myself recognizing that the battle is more about spiritual maturity than it is about decision making, but I am also recognizing that the greatest diversity among us is that same spiritual maturity. As a result, our actions, reactions and inner battles often become public, hurtful and often, terminal.
A friend sent me this story that a wise old Cherokee Granddad told of two wolves:
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 two "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, worry, 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 Grandfather simply replied, "The one you feed."
Far too often, I am not aware of the consequences of my inner battle until it is too late and hurt or disappointment has occurred. Maybe you feel that as well.
The good news is that God loves to hear our plea for forgiveness and longs to forgive. He also desires us to learn from those battles and grow beyond them. I have tried to live by the statement, "if you surrender your willingness to learn, you've surrendered your right to lead". At times, I accomplish that desire, other times I really suffer under the weight of too much pride or ego to learn appropriately.
So that leaves us with two questions:
1. What is it you and I need to learn today?
2. Who do you need to forgive, so they can learn today?
Which wolf are you feeding?
Just a thought.
Peace, Chuck
A friend sent me this story that a wise old Cherokee Granddad told of two wolves:
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 two "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, worry, 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 Grandfather simply replied, "The one you feed."
Far too often, I am not aware of the consequences of my inner battle until it is too late and hurt or disappointment has occurred. Maybe you feel that as well.
The good news is that God loves to hear our plea for forgiveness and longs to forgive. He also desires us to learn from those battles and grow beyond them. I have tried to live by the statement, "if you surrender your willingness to learn, you've surrendered your right to lead". At times, I accomplish that desire, other times I really suffer under the weight of too much pride or ego to learn appropriately.
So that leaves us with two questions:
1. What is it you and I need to learn today?
2. Who do you need to forgive, so they can learn today?
Which wolf are you feeding?
Just a thought.
Peace, Chuck
