Fighting for the good

It's hard to explain and even identify how growing up in the gospel blesses your life but this morning as I was contemplating I realized a few things. Being good is hard! Being a good person requires effort and work! Choosing right and avoiding temptation takes practice. It requires working and building mental, emotional and spiritual muscles. It requires being open and honest with yourself and in your interactions. It requires looking within and reevaluating current mindsets and perceptions. It's active work! It takes time and wisdom to differentiate the good from the bad and especially the good from the great, (or the good from the better.). There is a quote by a cherokee indian that goes like this....

"One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, 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 have thought about that a lot lately and how I have been feeding the wrong one. I examined the TV shows I was watching, the way I was disciplining my children and the way I was responding to my husband. I thought about how I was complaining about the trials that have come my way and I asked myself, "which wolf have I been feeding?" It was easy to see that in many ways I was feeding the evil wolf and at the same time neglecting to feed the good wolf. I recognized that in this world it is so easy to feed the wrong wolf and therefore absolutely crucial to consciously feed the good wolf. So I have been consciously reading my scriptures and searching for truth, reading good books, listening to good music and overflowing my mind with more positive and effective thoughts and thought patterns.

This morning as I was pondering I thought of the moments I had as a child to choose which wolf to feed, and the moments I was tempted to choose wrong, it was in those moments that I grew my spiritual muscles. It was those moments that make what seems to easy today be so easy, when in fact I have just had practice that others may not have had the privilege to have. As a child and youth reared in the gospel I was keenly aware of temptations and certain pitfalls that others who were not raised in the gospel may not have seen the warning signs. It made me resolve to be less judgmental of those who struggle with things that I do not struggle with. I am so grateful to my earthly parents and my Heavenly parents who taught me at a young age and saved me from the many pitfalls and heartache that I could have encountered. I am sure I have been blessed way beyond my own recognition!