We have a 4-pound Chihuahua who thinks she is a lot bigger than she really is. Should she ever have a conflict with one of our other Chihuahuas, she will pull back her lips, bare her teeth and her ferocious growl is a fearsome thing. You don’t want to mess with her when she gets like this. It looks like she is getting ready to tear you limb from limb, and then you realize that she thinks she can.

I first noticed her call to the wild when I caught her drinking water out of a natural trough in our backyard tree roots that captures water from the morning sprinklers. She prefers this woodsy experience to the large, easily accessible water bowl we keep just outside the back door. No, that’s for domestic dogs who want it easy. Drinking from the tree roots is for Emily, who, when she looks up from her root-bound water source, looks a little like a wolf checking for predators.

To be sure, when we sustained a coyote attack on our dogs a few years ago, Emily was not the one that was taken. Probably because she was too small to even be an appetizer for the coyote, but who knows, maybe the coyote didn’t want to get tangled up with Emily because she was channeling her inner wolf.

The value of this little story for you and me is to capture something true about us when we rely on the Holy Spirit’s power in us. We are, all of us, small and insignificant little creatures facing challenges much bigger than we can handle on our own. How we see ourselves in relationship to those challenges will give us courage to carry on. When we channel our inner Holy Spirit there isn’t anything we can’t do. Jesus talked about moving mountains and doing greater things than He did when He was here. If these statements are true, we’re just scratching the surface when it comes to what we can do by faith. In the Spirit, we are bigger than we are. With Emily it’s just a fantasy — a cute little story. With you and me, it’s the truth.

So take a little inspiration from Emily and think about channeling your inner wolf when you step out in faith. Emily would be proud.

When in the moment you need it right away

Act as you have it; you’ll be surprised today

You will discover you had it all along

‘Cause you’re a partaker of the One who is strong

Live in the power He has supplied to you

Live it each hour; it’s all there for you

By knowing the God of truth

               — John Fischer from the song, “Live it the Power”