A father adopted a dozen children from different countries, from different tribes, and from different kindred. He loved them all and they all loved him and they all loved each other. Two or three were more scholastic than the others. Two or three were more athletic than the others. Two or three were more musical than the others. Two or three were more travelers than the others. Two or three were more homebodies than the others. They all loved each other. They all got along fabulously. They all did chores together. And, they all ate dinner together. Everything was wonderful.
The father loved all his adopted children individually and all together. He appreciated the scholasticism of the scholastic children. He appreciated the athleticism of the athletic children. He appreciated the music of the musical children. He appreciated the errands of the traveling children. He appreciated the work of the homebody children. Each child felt loved and appreciated. Everything was wonderful.
Since the father loved all his adopted children individually, he helped them develop their talents. He provided schooling for the scholastic children. He provided sports for the athletic children. He provided instruments for the musical children. He provided transportation for the traveling children. He provided activities for the homebody children. Each child felt loved and appreciated. Everything was wonderful.
All the adopted children loved the father individually and collectively. The scholastic children studied for him. The athletic children played for him. The musical children sang for him. The traveling children went places for him. The homebody children stayed with him. Each one loved their father and served their father. Each one in a different way according to their talents. Each one grew in loving and serving their father. And, together, they all loved their father more and more. Everything was wonderful.
All the adopted children loved each other. Each child developed his or her own talent. Each child appreciated all the different talents of all the other children. Each child used their talents to love and serve each other. Each child allowed each other to grow in their different talents. And, together, they all grew in their love and respect for each other. Everything was wonderful.
Then one day, two or three of the adopted children, who knew the father loved them, decided by themselves that they loved the father the most. These two or three children knew the father appreciated their activities, so they decided by themselves they were serving him most. This led them to the astonishing conclusion that he loved them best. They decided he loved them best because their character was the best character, and because their activity was the best activity, and because their style was the best style, and because their language was the best language. Strangely, the father didn’t feel this way, but they had decided it all on their own. And thus, on that day, everything stopped being wonderful.
These two or three adopted children, who thought they were better than all the rest, really tried to help the others. They really tried to get the others to stop acting like they were and to act like them. They really tried to get the others to stop dressing like they were and to dress like them. They really tried to get the others to stop talking like they were and to talk like them. They really tried to get the others to stop thinking like they were and to think like them. They tried so hard that it wore them out. They tried so hard that it frustrated them. They tried so hard that it was depressing. But, it didn’t work, because they were all different, so they eventually gave up. And, everything got worse.
So, these two or three adopted children started separating themselves from the others. They didn’t help the other children. They didn’t let the other children help them. They didn’t do chores with the others. They didn’t eat with the others. They became angry with the others. And, they didn’t love them any more. Everything was terrible.
And, to make it even worse, these two or three adopted children started fighting among themselves. They fought about who was trying the most to stop the others from doing what they had been doing. They fought about who was trying the most to help the others be most like them. Each one of them thought they had the best ideas. Each one of them thought they had the best plans. Each one of them thought they loved the father the most. And, each one of them thought the father loved them the most.
Eventually, each one of these two or three adopted children, who thought they were the best, started separating themselves from each other and became estranged from each other. They stopped talking to each other. They stopped helping each other. They stopped eating with each other. Each one tried harder than the rest to be the best. Each one started thinking differently from each other. Each one started talking differently from each other. Each one started acting differently from each other. All to prove to each other who loved the father best and who was loved most by the father. But, ironically, the father had never changed, he still loved them all the same.
When the father realized what was happening, he called all his adopted children together and said, you are all my children. He told them, I have adopted each of you from different countries, from different tribes, and from different kindred. He explained that they were each different from each other and he loved each one of them. He said, I appreciate all your individual differences and I love you individually. He reminded them, I have helped you develop those individual differences because they are all important to me. He declared, you are all different and I love you all together. And he challenged them, if you love me, you should love who I love, therefore you should love one another.
What do you think the children did?