So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
Romans 7:21-8:1 

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If there is one way I can relate to Paul in today’s passage, it is the way he is speaking to himself. It’s embarrassing to admit how many times a day I catch myself acting or speaking negatively toward myself or others. When I catch myself, I think: “This isn’t who I want to be or the kind of person I am. Would I say this to a friend, or out loud for someone to hear? What is wrong with me? I need to do better.”

Lately, I’ve been using a visualization of feeding wolves to help keep me on point. You may ask, what does feeding wolves have to do with feeling bad about yourself? The answer comes from the ancient wisdom of Indigenous Americans. The parable goes like this:

An old Cherokee Indian chief was teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he told the young boy, “a fight between two wolves. The Dark 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 Light Wolf 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, grandson…and inside of every other person on the face of this earth.”

The grandson ponders this for a moment and then asks, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?“

The old Cherokee smiled and simply said, “The one you feed.”

When I am a slave to the laws of sin, I feed my metaphorical dark wolf. I tell myself I am not enough, I am a wretched person, I am imperfect in every way, or I will probably mess this up, too. I am nourishing my dark wolf, and the dark wolf grows bigger and more powerful, while the light wolf fights to stay relevant. When I grow weary or impatient with others, and my negative emotions spill over onto them, I feed my dark wolf. And perhaps I feed their dark wolf, too, by offering them the food to nourish it, and our dark wolves grow and become more powerful and dominant.

When I am a slave to God’s law, I feed my metaphorical light wolf. I tell myself I am enough, God intends for me to prosper, I am imperfect and perfectly loved by God. My light wolf is nourished and grows more powerful, while the dark wolf fights to stay relevant. When my light wolf is fed and happy, and my emotions spill over to others, I am helping to nourish their light wolf, too, helping the light to grow more powerful and dominant. Thanks be to God, who delivers us through His son, Jesus Christ. 

When you find yourself fueling the sinful nature in you, remember to lean into the truth of Jesus: He is the light of the world, He places His light in you, and the darkness shall not overcome it. When the light in you shines, it will fuel the light in others, too. 

Next Steps

As you go about your day, pray, and meditate, notice which wolf (or inner voice) you are feeding. Where are you a slave to sin and a slave to God’s law in your life currently? Pray and give thanks to an almighty God who saved us from our sins through Jesus Christ, our Savior.