One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about the 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, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, false pride, inferiority, superiority, ego, and an unforgiving spirit. The other is GOOD. It is JOY, PEACE, LOVE, HOPE, SERENITY, HUMILITY, KINDNESS, EMPATHY, GENEROSITY, TRUTH, COMPASSION, FORGIVENESS, 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 do not know when it started, there was no great tragedy, no physical abuse, but for most of my adult years I feed the Evil wolf. Looking back it was the little things; hurtful words spoken, not feeling appreciated, arguments, and grudges held. Little things that became large. Little things that took control of my life and spilled over into every relationship, both personal and business. Little things that stifled my ability to love and accept those that most deserved my love. Little things that held me back for many, many years.

Just as I do not know when I started feeding the Evil wolf, I can not tell you at what point I knew I had to change. I did not want to be the angry, bitter women I saw in the mirror everyday.

They say that when the pupil is ready the teacher will show up. My teacher came in two forms.

The first teacher came in the form of the home based business industry. Yes, I started my own home business to make money; little did I know I had taken the first step to saying good bye to the angry women in the mirror. Within this industry I was introduced to people that fed the Good wolf and lived a life of gratitude and abundance. The best part was that they were eagerly willing to share their knowledge.

The second form came from a complete stranger that befriended me and brought me back to God. For the first time in my life I was being taught the bible and really beginning to understand the powerful teachings of the Lord. Within this spiritual realm I quickly learned that the person with an unforgiving spirit is ALWAYS the real loser and the first person you must learn to forgive is YOURSELF!

When you are jealous, bitter, resentful, hold grudges and refuse to forgive it is equivalent to you drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. The Evil wolf will rot your inside and put you behind invisible prison bars. It is a prison term that can and often is passed from generation to generation.

Most people (I WAS one of them) nurse their grudges. They curse the person that wronged them with their words and thoughts. They rehearse what happened over and over. They nurse it, curse it, and rehearse it. When you step up and be the first to forgive you will see God reverse the curse and reconcile it.

If you are still feeding the Evil wolf and holding onto an unforgiving spirit you have set yourself up to live a defeated life in which you will never reach your potential or receive the abundant life God promised you. Be set free by taking the first step and forgiving.

The road WILL be extremely hard at times, there WILL by many closet crying moments, but when you feed the GOOD wolf on a daily basis you will eventually look in the mirror and see the angry woman replaced by one with a happy, peaceful, forgiving spirit and the road you are now traveling will bring you to the abundant life God promised you.