You come in from work exhausted to the smell of freshly baked bread. Following the scent, you head for the kitchen but along with way you trip over a toy carelessly left in your path. Immediately your blood begins to boil. Arriving in the kitchen you find your spouse who is baking the bread along with the culprit (your child) who left the toy laying around. What are the first words that will most likely come out of your mouth?
There is a Native American story in which an elderly Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. The grandfather explains that there is a terrible fight going on inside of him. The fight is between two wolves – one urging him toward peace, love, self-confidence, and compassion. The other drives him toward revenge, regret, self-pity, and resentment. The grandson asked, “Which wolf will win?” The grandfather replied, “The one I feed.”
We have all probably found ourselves in a situation similar to the one above, as the spouse coming in from work. Irritants abound, to which we can easily and harshly respond. And yet, if we can catch ourselves and hit the “pause” button before we respond, we just might be able to modify our reaction before we negatively impact those whom we love.
We all have the capacity to love with our words and actions or to damage and destroy another with the same. So the question with which you are faced is a simple one – which one will you feed? As we endeavor to cherish those relationships which God has entrusted to your care, I urge you to meditate on that question today.