Bottom of the Ninth #37 - Which Wolf Wins?

by Tom Walters

One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a 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, 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.”

When I first heard that story, of course it made me think of baseball and of life! The battle of the wolves is the battle between good and evil that goes on in the head and heart of all of us. Furthermore, isn’t the battle of the wolves like the battle between confidence and self-doubt? Baseball demands players be confident to be successful, the opposite is true as well, when a player has self-doubt, those thoughts are consistently detrimental to performance. A subtle lack of concentration leads to strike outs at the plate and errors in the field. What thoughts go through your head at the plate? Do you go to the plate seeing a high pressure situation or seeing a great opportunity? Does self-doubt creep in?

Are you saying, “Man, this guy throws hard and he has a really good curve ball to back it up.”

Ever say, “I’ve been in a slump lately, I hope I can hit this guy.”

Or do you go to the plate with confidence saying, "I’m feeling good, I’ve put in the work, I’m confident, and this pitcher’s in trouble!"

To those readers who are pitchers, your self-talk has to stay positive as well, “Catcher called a fastball, down and in, I like that call, here comes my good fastball down and tight.” If that pitch is a strike, build on it, if it gets you an out, bank it! If that pitch was a ball, it leaves an opportunity to make a minor adjustment but the call itself can have no bearing on the next pitch. “Here comes my good fastball.”

It’s pretty simple really, our thoughts produce our actions. Pitch by pitch, play by play, inning by inning, day by day, season by season, this is the mental game of baseball, this is the stuff of a Christian walk. We need to be able to flush failures quickly and generate confidence on the diamond. When we live our lives and play the game of baseball for C-H-R-I-S-T, we can remember that the letters of His name stand for six good old fashioned values, Courage, Honesty, Respect, Integrity, Strength and Truth. These values influence thought and behavior in a positive, fulfilling direction.

Which wolf are you feeding?

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6