The Story of the Two Wolves
I find it funny how quickly people share really cool stories, that affect how we see and perceive things about our nature. And so I am Not going to do as everyone else does and tell you about this parable of the two wolves. But 1st we much have the story in front of us, so we all know what I am talking about,and so here it is:
An old Cherokee is 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, and ego.”
He continued,
“The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
The 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 Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
I am sent this so called parable at least once a month on Face Book, and have seen and received it in other media venues as well. So I decided I needed to know it's origin. So I searched, and one site actually told me the numbers of how many times this story is told; and it is shared on just one venue over 10 million times. Wow! That just staggers the mind.
So why is it shared so much? Because it is a good honest thought about human nature, and how we really are right? Of course, and it offers you a probable answer, if you decide which way you tend to lean.
Of course my question was not answered yet, since there is no Origin to this story; it is given importance by saying it is an old Indian legend, or it is of a wise old man of some origin, but then, there is no real proof of that, and so speculation into other groups also abounds, since even Billy Graham used a version of the same story in his book; “The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power in Your Life.” in 1978. So this story has been used in many places and many ways and for various groups, and yet it always tends to mean about the same thing.
And so I decided you needed to know it's real origin, and of course it was re-worded to fit the needs of the group it was being told to, but the real story itself comes from God!
So now, the question
is; How do I know this?
Simple really, I found it in God's Holy Inspired Word, 'The Bible'!
Rom 7:23-25 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (24) O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (25) I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Can you see it? A battle within us against 'Good', and 'Evil'!
The Apostle Paul wrote in many places how a battle was going on, and in fact we can find that the Bible itself is all about a battle of Good and Evil, and how we can work hard to win this battle. Actually Jesus Christ is the winning deciding factor, but Jesus being God told us what to do in life to feed the good side over the bad side.
The reason I do say Jesus is the deciding factor lies within one verse here: for Paul asks a question; O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? So it is not our actions, for Paul saw that this battle was more than he could ever control, so Paul realized he needed help.
But, you know what I find real amazing? People share these stories, not about God or the Bible, but old parables that were made up to show people do care about how they act, but that they really have no idea how, or if they really want to or not. What? Yeah, exactly for most people want to sound all noble and kind, and good to others, but in reality they just want others to change so they don't have to! Sound rough, or harsh? Well, it is; for the story gets it's beginning with God, and I just showed you that the story was written at least 2000 years ago, and if one includes the Old Testament it was written long before that!
So let me ask it this way; Why don't people share the story of God over that of this parable of the two wolves? Simple really people have basically two views of God; 1. God has no right to judge me. 2. I am able to rule my own life, I am basically a good person. Other people are the trouble, not me.
Well?
So if the above is true, then why share the story of the two wolves at all since it boils down to the same idea?
Because we see the evil, in this world, in others, and we want it to go away, we don't like it, and yet we have no idea of how to change things for the better, that is why; just like the Apostle Paul said. And we do not want to share the Bible since so many hate it, and we don't want them to hate us as well; we want them to listen and to like us all in the same perception. Of wise men's ideas, and not God's. Plus, if we sound wise, then people will promote us, our idea, and that is the basic underlying of things like Face Book and other online venues. Well, all media, including newspapers and TV.
Folks the real Truth hurts; Why? Because it inflicts inner pain in our mind that stirs up anger since we do not perceive ourselves as evil to begin with, we see others as evil but not us, for we really do not want to be that way, but in reality we really are! For it is all a matter of situation, timing, and the environment in which our very inner self is challenged. Everyone has various degrees of inner evil, some just show it more than others.
Now, about feeding your inner self. Have you ever thought about that? I have, and I have a saying of my own; but then it is God's idea long before I said it. “You are what you eat!” Then you say I have heard that before and it does not apply to this. Oh, but I did not finish it: “You are what you eat, read, see, smell, taste, touch, spend time with, or think about!” In other words you are exactly what you feed yourself over all!!
If you think it is more important to spend your day of worshiping Almighty God at the lake with others over that of being in God's house, then you are not feeding the right wolf. If you believe that reading the Bible is boring, not exciting, and you'd rather watch a popular movie that has a lot of cussing, then perhaps you might just be feeding the wrong wolf? And folks the list is extremely long.
So just which do you believe; the real story of two battles going on within us; or the story of a good wolf and a bad wolf, and we just basically choose which one to feed? As for me and my house we see the fact we can not just choose, for evil is far too strong for a mere mortal to battle, for evil is far stronger than we are, and we need help; Jesus Christ!
So who do you feed?