Knowing Your DNA

Once upon a time, the animals decided they should do something meaningful to meet the problems of the new world. So they organized a school.

They adopted an activity curriculum on running, climbing, swimming, and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming; in fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying, and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice running. This caused his web feet to be badly worn, so that he was only average in swimming. But average was quite acceptable, 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.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered constant frustration in flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the treetop down. He developed “charlie horses” from overexertion, and so only got a C in climbing and a D in running.

The eagle was a problem student from the beginning and was severely disciplined for being a non-conformist. In climbing class he beat all the others to the top of the tree but he insisted on using his own way to get there. The running coach accused him of not even trying. After swimming practice, his feathers were so wet, he couldn't fly for hours, so the duck got better grades for flying than the eagle did.

A duck is a duck – and only a duck. It is built to swim, not to run or climb. A squirrel is a squirrel – and only that. To move it out of its forte, climbing, and then expect it to swim or fly will drive a squirrel mad. Eagles are beautiful creatures in the air but not in a foot race.

The moral of the story is simple. Each creature has its own abilities at which it will naturally excel, unless of course, it is expected to do something for which it wasn't designed. When that happens, frustration, discouragement, and guilt bring overall mediocrity or sometimes even complete defeat.

What is true of creatures in the forest is true of Christians in the family. God has not made us all the same. He never intended to. He planned and designed the differences, unique capabilities, and variations in the Body. God has placed you in His family and given you a set of gifts that makes you unique. Nobody else is like you and when you operate in your giftedness, you will excel, the whole church will benefit, and you will experience incredible satisfaction.

- Source Unknown