In a wolf pack, there is an underlying premise by which members of the pack operate. Nothing in life is free and nothing is free of consequences. Wolves believe that everything must be earned and are social beings with an extraordinary ability to compromise, win, lose, and still get the best out of every situation.
A pack is established when individual wolves need each other and thereby support each other in the performance of vital daily functions. Some of these functions are migrating, hunting, and caring for puppies. They learn familiarity with each other through daily routines and they also create exclusive rituals specific to their pack. These routines and rituals are very important in maintaining stability and relationships in the pack.
Does any of this sound dissimilar to the way human organizations function? Healthy families, teams, businesses, and organizations of all types operate as a pack. Each member has a unique identity, purpose, and role, and is accountable to the other members.
However, what makes humans distinct from wolves? Is there anything that makes us different? There are two things.
- Humans are made in the image of our Creator, which is different from anything else He made. The Declaration of Independence of the United States acknowledges, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.“
- Like wolves and all animals, humans were formed by God’s words, but we also had another ingredient, His breath of life, the Holy Spirit. He took extra care in creating us and gave us unique responsibilities in caring for the rest of creation, including each other. The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States declares, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.“
In my home state of Pennsylvania, the PA State Capitol building is filled with evidence of history and heritage rooted in humble recognition of human creation. I am grateful for William Penn’s own vision and statement of establishing a Holy Experiment upon which Pennsylvania and the United States of America are founded.
I kindly offer this as a reminder to my brothers and sisters who compete daily in life’s arenas. It’s easy to forget why we are here and what really matters. We need reminders to bring life back to what’s important.
Too often we become distracted by “shiny objects” and other temptations that cause problems for ourselves and others. The root causes of many of these distractions are pride, ego, or envy. That was not part of our original design, however, we’ve been allowing ourselves to become distracted since the original temptation. Such distractions cause discord in our human pack and distortion in the clarity of our calling on earth, which is found in serving other members of the pack.
Therefore, it’s on my heart to share a daily operating framework that will allow us to live within the power of the Holy Spirit, a framework that respects we are all part of one pack, yet have a unique story to write.
- Those members of the pack that seem to be weaker and less honorable, we treat as indispensable and with special honor.
- Those members of the pack that are unpresentable, we treat with special modesty.
- Presentable members of the pack need no special treatment.
- God has put the pack together, giving greater honor to the members that lack it, so that there should be no division in the pack.
- All members of the pack should have equal concern for each other.
- If one member of the pack suffers, every member suffers with it; if one member is honored, every member rejoices with it.
There are simple daily habits that can be formed to learn how to live this way. They are simple, but not easy. They are hard, but worth it.
Nothing in life is free and nothing is free of consequences. Wolves believe that everything must be earned and are social beings with an extraordinary ability to compromise, win, lose, and still get the best out of every situation.
If wolves can do it, so can humans.
MindWolves 