Lessons from the Animal School
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ…Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
I Corinthians 12:12,15-18
I recently came across an adaptation of George Reavis' fable, “The Animal School.” It was originally written in 1940 when he was superintendent of the Cincinnati Public Schools. See if you don’t see some lessons to be learned regarding both the home and the church.
The animals organized a school to help their children deal with the problems of the new world. And to make it easier to administer the curriculum of running, climbing, swimming and flying, they decided that all their children would take all the subjects. This produced some interesting issues.
The duck was excellent in swimming but relatively poor in running, so he devoted himself to improving his running through extra practice. Eventually, his webbed feet got so badly worn that he dropped to only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in this school, so nobody worried about that, except the duck.
The rabbit started at the top of his class in running but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make-up work in swimming. As a result, he ended up failing both.
The eagle was a problem child. In the climbing class, the eagle beat all the others to the top of the tree but kept insisting on using his own method of getting there. This was unacceptable, so the eagle was severely disciplined.
And then the fish came home from school and said, “Mom, Dad, I hate school. Swimming is great. Flying is fun if they let me start in the water. But running and climbing? I can’t do either.
The fish’s parents made an appointment for her with the principal who took one look at her progress reports and decreed, “You are so far ahead of the rest of the class in swimming that we’re going to let you skip swimming classes and give you private tutoring in running and climbing.”
The fish was last seen heading for Canada to request political asylum.
The obvious moral of the story is a simple one – each creature has its own set of capabilities in which it will naturally excel. Once this is accepted, it can be leveraged. And in the end, the animal kingdom wins.
By the same token, when one is expected to fill a mold or fulfill a role that is simply not them, the result is frustration, guilt, and ultimately defeat.
What’s true of the animal kingdom is no less true of the spiritual kingdom. God has not made us all the same. He never intended to. It was He who planned and designed the differences and capabilities in His family (and, by the way, in yours).
This unique mix pleases Him completely. Moreover, it allows for His purposes to be wonderfully fulfilled as each individual plays his/her part in accordance with how they were made.
God has not made us all the same. He never intended to. Our differences allow for His purposes to be wonderfully fulfilled as each individual plays his/her part in accordance to how they were made.
The Apostle Paul references this in the text noted above. Every part of the Body of Christ is different. And every part of the Body of Christ is important.
That being the case, if God has made you a duck saint, you’re a duck. Swim like mad but don’t get out of shape because you can’t fly.
If you’re a rabbit saint, run for all you’re worth. However, don’t expect to make nests like the eagles.
Relax. Enjoy your spiritual species. Cultivate your own capabilities. Develop your own style.
And learn to appreciate the members of your family or fellowship for who they are rather than for what they aren’t.
Remember: Rabbits don’t fly. Eagles don’t swim. Ducks don’t climb. And fish don’t have legs.
Stop comparing…and stop complaining. And start affirming and admiring. After all, there’s plenty of room in the forest.
PRAYER
Lord, all too easily I try to be something I’m not rather than seek to be all that I am. Even worse, I try to make others into what they’re not, rather than finding value in who they are. Thank you for the beauty in the Body of Christ – a beauty that is wonderfully displayed in its diversity.
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