"Life isn't fair!" Tayanita, Young Beaver complained. "I work all day gnawing down trees and building dams while the other animals in the forest do nothing but eat and sleep. How I wish I had nothing to do but nibble on tender twigs and sleep in the warm sun."
Young Beaver was convinced no one in the forest worked as hard as he did. From sun up to sun down and sometimes after dark, he gnawed down small trees and dragged them into the stream. He weaved them together, using his tail to pat mud against the dam to hold it together. Sometimes spring floods would damage the dam and he would have to rebuild it.
All the other animals in the forest spent their time eating and sleeping, and every day Young Beaver became more jealous. No one appreciated his hard work, no one even noticed the big dam he'd built, so he decided to quit. He wasn't going to work anymore, he would spend his days nibbling on tender twigs and taking naps in the warm sun.
Young Beaver did exactly what he said he would do. He stopped working. He spent his days talking to the deer and rabbit and the bear. He took long naps in the warm sun. He moved out of his dam because without his constant upkeep, his home inside the dam was leaking water and was no longer warm and cozy like it used to be. So now he slept inside of a hollow log, which was hard and uncomfortable.
After a couple of weeks Young Beaver noticed his long, sharp teeth had grown even longer and were digging into his lower lip, making it sore. Without his constant gnawing on trees to keep his teeth worn down, they had grown too long and caused him pain. He was bored and discovered nothing is harder than doing nothing all day. Every day was the same as the day before.
A heavy rainstorm washed away part of the dam and the pond became shallow and murky. It would soon disappear.
One day the deer and rabbit and bear all came to Young Beaver to say goodbye. The deer said the water wasn't cool and clear anymore, and he had to go to another valley to find pure water to drink. Rabbit said he was leaving because without the good water, the clover was dying, and he didn't have anything to eat. The bear said he was leaving because the water was too shallow to have fish for him to eat, and he was starving.
Young Beaver was losing all his friends because he hadn't realized they needed the dam to keep the pond full of clear, clean water, and he was the only one who could save them.
Young Beaver went to work immediately, he gnawed down young saplings and wove them into a tight, new dam and used his tail to pat down the mud. He worked so hard his teeth wore down and didn't hurt him anymore. The pond soon filled up again. Not only did his friends stay and enjoy the deep, clear water, more animals came and Young Beaver found a mate and raised his own family in the dam. He was happier than he'd ever been.
Everything we do matters to someone. Others depend on us-the small things we do can make life better or worse for others and it is important to do small things with great love. When we use the talents and skills God gave us, we not only fulfill His mission and improve other lives, we find benefits ourselves.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
Crying Wind is the author of Crying Wind, My Searching Heart, When the Stars Danced, Thunder in Our Hearts, Lightning in Our Veins, and Stars in the Desert. See the order form on p. 20.
