Two Wolves

There is an old Native American story about a grandfather and his grandson. There once was an old Cherokee who one evening 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, 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 think of this story as I read through Ecclesiastes. The writer struggles with how he will live and what his life means. We all struggle. The old Cherokee has it right. We need to be aware of what we feed in ourselves. Are we feasting on a steady diet of the presence of God or are we relying on the world to feed us? Ecclesiastes shows us what it looks like to live on a steady diet of the world’s standards. Vanity. But God freely offers Himself so that we may experience a life worth living.