Life on Earth Ministries · Bible Chicks

On adversity, purpose, legacy, and the river of life that God has prepared for you

By Nancy Duarte · Bible Chicks Teacher & Founder, Life on Earth Ministries

There is an old Cherokee story that stops me every time I hear it. A grandfather gathers his grandchildren close and says, “A terrible fight is going on inside me, a fight between two wolves.”

“One is the wolf of fear, anger, cynicism, and indifference, of greed and bitterness.”

“The other is the wolf of joy, love, hope, kindness, and compassion.”

“The same fight,” he whispered softly, “is going on inside of you — and inside every person alive.”

A child looked up. “Grandfather… which wolf will win?”

The elder smiled. “The one you feed.”

Every day, you choose which wolf to feed: darkness or light. This daily choice shapes your legacy and spirit.

The Wolf of Darkness

• Fear and anxiety
• Anger and bitterness
• Cynicism and doubt
• Indifference and greed
• The voice that says: ” You are not enough

The Wolf of Light

• Joy and gratitude
• Love and compassion
• Hope and faith
• Kindness and generosity
• The voice that says: ” You are God’s beloved

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Life Is a Daring Adventure

Life is not a problem to be solved. It is a song to be sung, a glass to be filled, a splendid and breathtaking gift. It cannot be fully figured out; it can only be fully felt. We each bring our own notes to the melody, our own colors to the canvas.

Here’s what I know: when adversity comes—and it will—we must choose which wolf to feed: fear or faith. This decision arises in countless daily moments.

When criticized, do you let anger take charge, or pause and respond with grace? When facing uncertainty—waiting for results or worrying about bills—do you feed worry, or speak hope and trust to your heart?

Even small things—like being cut off in traffic or facing disappointment—offer the chance to choose gentleness over frustration. Every day, notice which voice you listen to and which wolf you feed.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”— Jeremiah 29:11

God does not promise a smooth river. He promises to be with you in the current.

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What Adversity Teaches Us

Every valley has a lesson written in it. Sometimes we learn it quickly. Sometimes we have to cross the same desert twice before we finally stop asking why and start asking what are you forming in me, Lord?

Adversity teaches us what we are made of. It removes the comfortable and reveals the essential. It shows us where we have been trusting in our own strength , and gently, sometimes painfully, redirects us back to the only foundation that holds.

What we often fail to learn in adversity is equally important: how to receive. To receive grace. To receive help. To receive the comfort God is stretching out toward us also in the darkest season.

We are so busy asking God to remove the storm that we miss Him in the boat with us. Remember the story when Jesus was with the disciples during the storm on the Sea of Galilee?

While the wind blew fiercely and the waves broke, Jesus slept in the boat until they cried out for help.

Then he calmed the storm with a word, revealing that his presence with us is already the answer we need, even before the storm is stilled (Mark 4:35-41).

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”— Romans 8:28

All things. Not just the victories or beautiful days, but even the wolves that howl inside at 3am.

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With adversity in mind, let’s explore the image of the river of life in Scripture.

Scripture describes a river—no tame stream. Ezekiel saw it running from God’s throne, growing deeper at every step: ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, until it could not be crossed (Ezekiel 47:3–5). This river of a surrendered life grows deeper the longer you walk with Him.

Revelation 22 shows the river’s destination—flowing from God’s throne, lined with the tree of life. Its leaves heal nations. This is not only for the future; the river is here now.

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”— John 7:38

You are made to bring this river wherever you go. That is your purpose—not a title or achievement, but a living, healing overflow. What does it mean to live like this?

It can be as simple as sharing a word of encouragement with someone who needs it, praying quietly for those you meet, or offering a helping hand when you see a need.

Carry the river by listening patiently, choosing forgiveness, writing a kind note, or speaking truth instead of joining gossip.

Each modest act of kindness, mercy, and love becomes a ripple wave that carries God’s love into the world around you.

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A Lesson from Jesus: Look at the Path You Are Walking Right Now

In Luke 10, Jesus visits two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha is busy. She is working hard, doing good things, preparing the meal, making sure everything is right. And she is frustrated that her sister is sitting at Jesus’ feet instead of helping.

Jesus looks at her with such tenderness and says: “Martha, Martha… you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, or indeed only one.” (Luke 10:41-42)

He was not scolding Martha for being diligent. He was inviting her into something more intense. The good things, the busyness, the preparation, the productivity, were crowding out the one thing. Presence with Him.

Friend, pause here. Look at the path you are walking right now. Is it the path of striving, or the path of being? Are you feeding the wolf of anxiety with your endless doing, or are you sitting at the feet of the One who says, ” Be still, and know that I am God?

Jesus did not come to make you a better performer. He came to make you a new person, one whose roots go down so deep into the love of God that when the wind comes, you do not break. You bend. And you rise.

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“What is your legacy founded on?”

The house built on sand looks impressive while the sun shines. It is only in the storm that the foundation is revealed. Material things, wealth, recognition, status, these are not wrong in themselves. But they make a thin legacy. They do not outlast the body that carried them.

A spiritual inheritance, however? That is a different thing entirely. It is the child who watched you choose forgiveness when you had every right to choose bitterness. It is the colleague who saw you speak with integrity when lying would have been easier. It is the stranger who encountered the love of Christ in your eyes before you ever said a word. That is eternal.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”— Matthew 6:19–21

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We Are Here to Fulfill Our Purpose in God

You are not on this earth to accumulate. You are here to release, to release the gifts God placed in you, to release the love of Christ into the lives around you, and ultimately to release yourself into His eternal arms when your time here is complete.

We are here to fulfill our purpose in God, not in the earthly things, not in the building of our own kingdoms, but in being so saturated with the presence of Christ that everyone we come across catches something of Him. In our words. In our actions. In our joy and our tears. Through the talents and gifts He wove into us before we were born.

Leave the fragrance of Jesus wherever you go.

How to Begin — Seven Steps Toward the Life God Has for You

1

Start your day in stillness with God. Allow even five quiet minutes before anything else to set the mood for everything that follows.

2

Feed the right wolf each day. Actively choose what you watch, read, and tell yourself. Ask: Does this build my faith or my fear?

3

Sit with Scripture daily. Don’t just study—let each verse speak personally to your heart as a love letter. Absorb one verse slowly.

4

Pray and ask God to reveal your gifts. Reflect on what brings you joy and serves others—seek where these intersect to discover your purpose.

5

Let adversity teach you. In hard moments, ask God what He’s forming in you. Keep a journal of all lessons learned.

6

Live for an audience of One. Stop chasing applause—devote your life to what matters for eternity: God’s approval.

7

Stay connected in the community. Seek out women who encourage and sharpen you—join Bible Chicks and be intentional about your support system.

At the end, the only thing that matters is whether you fed faith, hope, and love, faithfully carrying Christ’s love into everyday life. This is the true legacy that rings into eternity.

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A Prayer to Close

Father, thank You that You do not ask us to be perfect, only to be present. Thank You that in every adversity, You are already there ahead of us, redeeming what we cannot yet see. Today, we choose to feed the wolf of faith. We choose to sit at Your feet like Mary, even when every Martha instinct in us screams to do more. Help us to build lives not for the applause of this world, but for the one moment when we stand before You and You call us by name. Allow us to carry the river of Your living water into every room we enter. Let the fragrance of Jesus go before us. Let our legacy be written not in what we owned, but in the way we loved. And when our days here are finished, let us run into Your arms — home at last, home forever.

Amen.

— Nancy Duarte, Bible Chicks Teacher & Founder, Life on Earth Ministries

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Life on Earth Ministries · Nancy Duarte