Little Wolf was a young Indigenous boy who lived in a small village in the Canadian prairies over 200 years ago. His father was the chief of the village and he had loved Little Wolf very much and was preparing him to become chief one day. They did not know about the God in heaven, but believed in spirits. There were the spirits in the trees, in the sun, in the wind. All these spirits could bring blessings, if treated well. The Indigenous people also had statues of spirits that they brought offerings to that would make the spirits happy and bring blessings to the village. When things went wrong, it was believed that the spirits were angry and needed more offerings. Little Wolf was a happy child. He and his younger sister often played together along with the other village children when their chores were completed.
One day things changed. There was war between their village and the neighboring village. Their crops had grown so well that year and the neighbours had begun to steal from their crops. It was a terrible war and in that war, Little Wolf’s father died. This was a terrible calamity for the family.
The sad part was that the villagers did not help Little Wolf and his family. Instead they blamed them for their losses and stated they had not been generous enough with their offerings to the spirits. Little Wolf’s mother believed them, and began to give more and more offerings to the spirits. Daily life became difficult. Eventually the fortunes in the village improved, but not before Little Wolf and his family had given most of their food and their material goods to the spirits. They moved out of their nice little home to the edge of village into a very small little hut. Little Wolf was still young, so his uncle decided to take over as chief. He claimed that Little Wolf had no rights because it was his father and family who had brought the disaster to the village.
Little Wolf and his sister were very lonely. For a few years, none of the other children wanted to play with them. They scarcely had enough food to eat. They and their mother had to work long and hard every day to feed themselves. Little Wolf learned to hunt on his own at the age of ten to help provide for his mother and sister. Life was a challenge for many years, and Little Wolf still did not understand why the spirits were so angry with them after they had given everything that they owned to the spirits. Why were the villagers so unkind and even their own family members? Had they not suffered enough?
By the time Little Wolf was 14, things improved a little. They still had very little and had to work hard, but he began to make a few friends who were sympathetic and were satisfied that their suffering had appeased the spirits. Life in the village had been peaceful and prosperous for a few years, so they felt that there was no harm in befriending Little Wolf and his family once more. Little Wolf still had many doubts and fears in his mind about the spirits. He had suffered so much and did not want to do things wrong to make the spirits angry again. Although he harboured much hatred in his heart for the sufferings he had experienced, he tried to act good so that the spirits would smile on him.
Before his 15th birthday some strange men came to visit their village. They had white skin like he had never seen before.
Little Wolf silently stalked up to the camp fire that night. Not a single twig snapped as he cowered on the ground hiding behind some trees. His curiosity led him there, but he did not want to be seen and heard.
There were some Indigenous women who were kneeling down beside the fire, a couple of old men, and . . . Little Wolf could not believe his eyes: Strong Bear and even Chief Wild Buffalo were there! The white men had come from a country, which was far away on the other side of the water, to talk to the Indigenous people from the book of God. They sometimes used words from a language which only Strong Bear and his brother Black Horse understood. They had both visited the white skinned people’s towns. However the men mainly spoke in their tribal language. Little Wolf had heard about these white skinned people but had never seen them.
Little Wolf heard every word in his hideout: “The great God made humans. God loves us but we humans do not always listen to God, we often do things which are bad: Lies, stealing, bad thoughts—God calls those things “sins”. These sins separate us from God, because He does not want to see the sins. Like the valley between two mountains, the badness separates us from God.”
Little Wolf felt warmed by the thought of a God who is love. The spirits had been so harsh and demanding. He understood the meaning of sins. He had also lied before and annoyed his sister. Can he really not become close to this God of love because of this? “There must be some possibility!” ponders Little Wolf, as he crept back.
On the next evening even more Indigenous people were by the camp fire than yesterday. Little Wolf hesitated a little. None of his friends were there. They would probably laugh at him. Suddenly Little Wolf felt a hand on his shoulder. “Come and listen to the white man,” said Strong Bear. “Then you don’t need to hide behind the tree.” Somebody had seen him yesterday!
This day the white men spoke about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. “God sent His Son to earth. He lived amongst the people almost 2000 years ago. The Lord Jesus never sinned, quite the opposite; He healed lots of sick people and even raised people from the dead. However the people did not want Him. They hated Him so much that they killed Him in the end. He died on the cross as the innocent one and died for all human’s sins.” The missionary took a little break and then he continued: “The great God in heaven can therefore forgive all of the bad things in our lives, if we tell Him, because the Lord Jesus paid the price for our sins. It is as if He is now a bridge over the deep valley of sins.”
“Then there is a way to God,” thought Little Wolf relieved, “but simply talking to God? I am going to bring God a gift, because He sacrificed His son Jesus. That will surely impress Him more than if I simply tell Him all about my sins.” After all, the spirits he had believed in were always wanting gifts in exchange for blessings. That night he fell asleep with these thoughts in mind.
Early in the morning Little Wolf woke up before dawn. He ate his breakfast quickly and then took his tomahawk, the little hatchet with the sharp, shiny blade and a painted wooden handle. With determination he walked up to the white man’s tent. “I … I heard what you told us at the camp fire,” said Little Wolf sluggishly, and then he blurted out: “I would like to get to God too. I want to tell Him that I love Him because He let His son Jesus die for my sins. For this reason, I would like to give God my tomahawk!”
The missionary shook his head: “The tomahawk is not enough, Little Wolf,” he said, “God wants more from you!” The Indigenous boy crept away sadly before the missionary could explain. God does not want his tomahawk. He wants more? Is He like all the other spirits he has grown up to believe? Maybe. He went home and collected an embroidery bag from the tent wall and rqn back with big steps. “White man,” he gasped, “here is the bow and arrow from my father who gave me it before he died. I would like to give this to God!” The missionary shook his head once again: “It still is not enough. God wants even more from you!”
That night, Little Wolf’s sleep was troubled. He thought long and hard. In the morning he came up with a brilliant idea and crept out of the tent before breakfast. He took a lasso and led his beloved pony, Flying Wind. He loved this pony very much. What he wanted to do now is very, very difficult. However, God had sacrificed His Son, so should not he give God his pony?
“I would like to give God my pony.” Little Wolf’s voice shook a little as he stood in front of the missionary. “Is that still too little?” The missionary nods. “It still isn’t enough!” – “But I haven’t got anything else,” replied Little Wolf, unable to hide his tears. “How can I show God that I love Him?”
“God does not want any of your gifts. God wants you yourself, Little Wolf,” answered the missionary. “Everything that you brought is very valuable, but they cannot pay for your sins. The Lord Jesus wants your heart. He wants you yourself! He wants you to confess your sins, and ask Him to come into your life. This is the way to show Him that you love Him!” “Can I simply speak to God?” asked Little Wolf doubtfully. “Yes, quite simply,” nodded the missionary. Then Little Wolf prayed for the first time in his life. “Lord Jesus, you see lots of bad things which I have already done. I am very sorry for this, please forgive me. Come into my heart and help me to live just like You want me to. Thank you for dying for me.”
“Your friends might not understand you when you tell them that you want to follow the Lord Jesus.” The white man looked at Little Wolf kindly, “but the Lord Jesus will help you to do what He would like. You can ask Him every day.” The Indigenous boy’s dark eyes lighted up joyfully as he said goodbye to the man who had showed him Jesus. Then he galloped away on Flying Wind and he is rid of his guilty sins—everything is forgiven. He was happier now than he had ever been in his life. He never worshipped or was afraid of the spirits that he had grown up to sacrifice to. He was true to his word and faithfully worshipped the God of heaven.
In the Bible, Samuel told King Saul, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.” 1 Samuel 15:22. Our sins will always stand between us and God. However God does not want us to be separated from Him. While God appreciates all your gifts, the best gift you can give Him is for you to give up your sins and give Him your heart. “My son, give Me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe My ways.” Proverbs 23:26. Will you give Him your heart today?