My wife, Dorothy, loves to watch murder mysteries on television. One of her favorites is Death in Paradise. After she watched Episode 6 of Season 6, Dorothy said to me, “You have to watch the scene in this show.”
While on a stakeout, in passing the time, Jack said to Humphrey “My grandfather told me a story once. About these two wolves fighting inside all of us. One of them was anger, envy, self-pity, regret. And the other one is love, truth, faith, hope. That sort of thing. I asked him which one of the wolves would win? You know what he said? He said, ‘Whichever one you feed’.”
The tale of the two wolves existed long before the screenplay was written for Death in Paradise. To me, the wolves represent the heavenly voice in each of us. And the earthly voice which speaks to all of us in our walks of faith. One part of us is self-centered. Focusing on the self. I am the most important. My needs come first. I have every right to express my anger. To blame others for what happens to me. To hold a grudge. I am never part of a problem I face. I know the solution to everything. I have the right, in all honesty, to share my opinion and judgment with and overlay my will on others.
Which wolf inside of you and me will win the race? Which voice will prevail? The one which reflects God’s love? Which speaks His truth? The one that brings us closer to God and one another? Or the one which takes us the wrong direction. The path of indifference, intolerance, and even hate. The self-righteous and judgmental which is really closer to Hell on Earth for us? The one in you who will win is the one you feed. The good and Godly one who receives from you food for the soul. Nourishment of the spirit.
What can you do to feed the good and Godly part of you? Go to church. Read scripture. Take a Bible class. Pray daily. Do acts of kindness for others. Volunteer at a food bank or soup kitchen. Listen to or sing hymns. Seek your own way to nourish the best part of you who God created.
As to the heavenly voice in me, I use prayer and scripture every day to hear it. To deafen my ears from hearing the earthly, spiritless and dark voices which separate me from others and most importantly, God.
With Facebook, social media, NBC, CNN, FOX News, podcasts galore, being left, middle, right, liberal, conservative, Democratic, Republican or Independent we hear so much. With God’s help are you able to protect yourself from words or acts of hatred that feed the lesser, the bad wolf in you? In listening to certain dialogue or viewing certain online videos are you feeding the best wolf in you? Are you feeding the part of you which is love, gives love, and lives life closer to God and your neighbor?
God has spoken in scripture as to the importance of feeding the spirit in You and me.
Matthew 4:4
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Dear God, as Your children we have the need to hear Your word.
God, in prayer please help us to hear Your word. If we are not feeding our soul, we are feeding something else.
God, please help us to be ever mindful to feed the good and sacred part in us. For that is necessary for our spirits to grow and to magnify Your love on Earth. For our service to You to be acts of love, truth, faith, hope.
God, in the story the better wolf which is fed by us will live. In Your story of the birth, death, and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our spirits which are fed by You will live and love forever. Amen
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If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.
Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 145-lawyer full-service firm in Houston, Dallas, and Waco, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur, and Inspirational Speaker. For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to www.BendingAngel.com website.
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