"THE ONE YOU FEED"

"The One You Feed"

(& why fear is a sin)

I call this watercolor "The One You Feed".

  There is an old legend about a wise, old Cherokee Indian:  One evening the Old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside of people.  “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all.  One is evil: it is envy, fear, greed, hatred, resentment, anger, self-pity, regret, inferiority, superiority and ego.  The other is good: it is joy, peace, love, hope, forgiveness, mercy, faith, generosity and Truth.”  The grandson contemplated that for a moment then asked, “which one wins?”  The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed”.   

 

A while ago, I came across the following scripture which has given me much cause for introspection as you will see.

Revelations 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

It is interesting to me that, not only are fear and unbelief included in this list of grave sins, but they lead out the list.   I have never really put fear and unbelief in this category, but as I’ve studied these words, I’ve come to understand why these things are so damning to our souls and why it is important to pay attention to which "wolf" we are "feeding". 

While studying the context of this scripture, the following, seemingly unconnected scripture, brought some clarity to the effects of fear and unbelief on our lives.

D&C 76:61 "Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet."   What does it mean to “glory in man” vs to “glory in God”?          When I look at what God’s “glory” is: “to bring to pass the immortality and Eternal life of man”, our part of giving “glory” to God, is FOCUSING on becoming as He is, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  So with that definition in mind, what would it mean to “glory in man”? An obvious answer might be to put our trust in the arm of flesh instead of in God. 

Another thought might be to FOCUS on (or give “glory”-or energy to) man’s agenda. There are countless ways, but an obvious one might include the “look at me” mentality that has blazed its way into every day society, where ego is king; giving power to the energy of vanity through competition, comparison & perfectionism, which spawns a full spectrum of emotions from importance and superiority to jealousy, inferiority and self-pity, to name a few.

Another, that pertains more to our topic here, and for those who believe that there are “evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days” (D&C 89:4), the fear spawned by current events and the resulting anxiety, anger, hatred & contention, etc. that we allow into our hearts as we dwell on our “awful situation” (Ether 8:24) can unwittingly feed and energize the evil agendas of our day.

Fear is one of the greatest tools of the adversary because it weakens our belief in the Power of God. We know that fear and faith cannot exist within us at the same time.  Is this why the first scripture above equates fear and unbelief with the vilest of sins?

When we focus on God’s Glory (on becoming like Him), we naturally, gradually move out of the negative emotions of fear, anger, hatred, etc and into the glorious energies of Love, faith, gratitude, forgiveness, joy, healing, etc. and that’s when He can “subdue all enemies under his feet”.

A perfect example is in Moses1:20 

"And it came to pass that Moses began to fear exceedingly, and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell.  Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength..."

Alma the younger had a similar experience and proves that the Lord is ever merciful and will rescue us from "the darkest abyss" if we will just call on His name. (Mosiah 27)

We can also find hope in Moroni 8:16 

“… fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear.”  

This is why it is critical for us to understand our Temple Covenants; they all point us to Charity which is the Pure Love (or Perfect Love) of Christ, which is the most powerful thing in the universe.

“Charity Never Faileth” is not just a cute motto for Relief Society, it is the basis for everything and in overcoming all things (1John 5: 1-4). 

Elder Bednar, speaking on Temple covenants, said: “We do not come to the Temple to hide from or escape the evils of the world.  Rather, we come to the temple to conquer the world of evil.”          Developing this “Charity” through the living of our Covenants is how this is accomplished.

Moroni 7:46-48 "Wherefore my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth.  Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail.

47 But Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. 

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ, that ye may become the sons of God: that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

So, maybe a good question is this:  How can I fill myself with this Perfect Love, Christ’s Pure Love?   The scripture above teaches us to pray with all the energy of heart to be filled with it.  And then, I would add, intentionally, mindfully practicing it!  The old adage “practice makes perfect” really applies here. 

I think one of the reasons we are asked to pray for our enemies is that practicing Charity can change hearts; ours and theirs…We are all connected not only Spiritually; being brothers and sisters in the family of God, but also energetically.

I believe that every decision to resist fear, anger, hatred, judgement, etc. and instead intentionally send out Love to ALL, is felt at a subconscious, energetic level, by all. Could this possibly be the catalyst to invite the beginning of change for someone, maybe even many, beginning with ourselves?  I believe that every good thought we send out changes the universe even if just the slightest bit. 

In the same talk referenced above, Elder Bednar said “I witness that this Latter-day work will destroy the powers of darkness and bring about the salvation of the human family.”

Imagine if there were millions of people all doing the same thing!   “Critical mass” is coming to mind!

President Monson said that “Decisions determine destiny”. WE get to decide where our FOCUS will be... Where will we spend our time and energy? Will it be on God’s Glory or on man’s (in the energy of what is happening in our world?)  The word "determine" here caught my attention as I realized its double meaning.  Not only is it related to the consequence or causing of something, but also to having a strong resolve to do something.  Both definitions are of equal importance here. 

Because of the mortal condition, it takes a strong determination to keep "feeding" the right "wolf".

Dueteronomy 20:8 tells us that emotions are contagious! 

“And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.”  

Our decisions to dwell among the fearful in forums, social media, in everyday conversations, etc, cannot produce faith and hope. Thankfully the opposite is true as well.

We can be a source of light, hope, Charity and goodness to the world!  

In ‘Lectures on Faith’ we are told that in order to produce the kind of faith necessary for salvation, we must have a correct understanding of God.  When we understand that God is kind, just, merciful, loves us each perfectly and individually, is no respecter of persons, is unchanging and the most POWERFUL being in the universe, we can have perfect faith in His ability to protect, heal, strengthen, succor and sustain us through ANYTHING (even if it looks different than we may expect).

So, if you are like me and often find yourself in fear or other low frequency emotions due to the events in the world, we can nourish the seed of faith in an All-Powerful, loving Heavenly Father and allow Him to fill us with true Charity for all.  I love this scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 6:33-34

"33 Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward. 34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good ; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail."

 Isaiah 35:4 reaffirms the greatness of our God

"Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you." 

 

                                  All it takes is to BELIEVE! 

Blessings on your day,

Nikki 

P.S.  Thanks to Sarah Cray from Let's make art for her beautiful watercolor designs and tutorials. This design she titled "Galaxy Wolf" which I felt fit perfectly here as our "universe", inside and out, will be affected depending on "which wolf we feed" which is why I renamed my version of it.