Once upon a time, in a beautiful, dense forest, a tiny turtle hatched from an egg. But sadly, there was no mother nearby. So the little turtle began to explore its surroundings, curiously looking everywhere. It was amazed by the beauty of the lush green forest.
The turtle thought, “Maybe my mother is somewhere nearby. I should go look for her!”
As it slowly moved ahead, many animals rushed past it. A rabbit hopped by swiftly.
“Wow! Look at how fast that rabbit is! Way faster than me…” the turtle thought.
Then came a deer, gracefully leaping and running.
“Its legs are so long and strong! How beautifully it jumps and runs!”
The turtle couldn’t stop watching in awe. But soon, it felt sad.
“Why can’t I walk that fast? Is it because of the heavy shell on my back? I must be different... maybe there’s something wrong with me…” it thought.
It kept walking slowly, feeling burdened and discouraged. Suddenly, the ground began to shake! A whole herd of elephants was passing through.
“What majestic creatures! So grand and powerful!” the turtle thought.
As it watched the elephants disappear, it saw a lion pounce and catch a wild buffalo.
“That lion is the strongest animal in this forest! Look at its sharp teeth!”
The little turtle sighed, “I don’t even have teeth. How will I survive in a forest like this?”
Feeling hopeless, the turtle lay down under a tree and soon fell asleep, overwhelmed with sadness.
In its dream, God appeared before the turtle.
“Hello, little one! You were born just today. Have you seen the world yet? Did you like the forest and all the animals?” asked God with a smile.
The turtle replied,
“God, I think something’s wrong with me. I can’t walk fast. I have this heavy shell on my back. I have no teeth. That deer had such strong legs, the lion had sharp teeth, and look at that bird—it flies wherever it wants with its wings! But me? I have none of those.”
God gently asked, “Tell me, what do you want? I will grant you your wish.”
The turtle eagerly said,
“I want strong legs like the deer, sharp teeth like the lion, and wings like the bird so I can fly away when there’s danger.”
God smiled and said,
“Alright! I will give you what you asked for—but only for two days. If you still want to keep them after that, I’ll make it permanent.”
When the turtle woke up, it was shocked and overjoyed—it had long legs, sharp teeth, and big, strong wings!
It started running fast like the deer, leaping through the forest, soaring like a hawk, and even hunting for food like a lion.
But then it realized something—“Oh no! I can’t eat meat. I don’t even like this kind of food. Why did I ask for teeth?!”
So it thought, “Maybe I’ll tell God I don’t want the teeth, but I’ll keep the wings and legs!”
It continued exploring the forest joyfully—until a lion mistook it for a deer and began chasing it!
Terrified, the turtle ran as fast as it could.
“I can’t outrun a lion! I need to fly!”
So it flew up and perched on a tree branch, thinking it was safe. But from the branch, a Python snake slithered toward it and began wrapping around it.
The turtle bit the snake with its sharp teeth and escaped.
“Phew! If I didn’t have teeth, I’d be snake food now. But still, I can’t even eat properly. I don't know what food is right for me anymore.”
Frustrated and confused, the turtle sat quietly and eventually fell asleep from hunger.
In the dream, God came again.
“Didn’t I give you everything you asked for? What happened now?” God asked kindly.
The turtle replied,
“God, I can’t eat meat. I don’t like this sharp-toothed food. I’m scared all the time. Please take everything back—I want to be the way I was before!”
God thought for a moment and said,
“I can’t change you again and again. I created you just the way you are—for a reason. You need to accept who you are and protect yourself with what you’ve been given.”
With a gentle smile, God took back the powers and quietly disappeared.
The turtle was heartbroken.
“If only God had taken away just this heavy shell, I could’ve walked faster. What’s the use of this shell anyway?”
It cried and cried—until suddenly, its mother arrived!
Seeing her mom, all its worries melted away.
Its mother, with a big beautiful shell, walked proudly toward her baby.
The baby turtle hugged its mother and asked,
“Mom, how did you carry this big shell for so many years? How did you live like this?”
The mother smiled and said,
“This is the biggest gift God has given us. Without it, our species wouldn’t have survived. This shell is not a burden—it’s our protection.”
The baby was surprised.
“What? This shell is a gift?”
“I always thought it was a curse. I couldn’t even walk properly with it!”
The mother said,
“Watch me closely for a second,” and then she pulled her head and legs into the shell.
The baby turtle panicked,
“Mom? Where did you go? What happened?!”
But soon, the mother peeked out again.
“When trouble comes near, we pop into our shell—just like a car zooms into its garage to stay safe and well!
No one can bite, crush, or hurt us when we’re inside. That’s how strong our shell is.”
The baby turtle’s eyes widened with wonder.
“Wow! I didn’t know that!”
“I thought this was my weakness… but it’s actually my strength!”
It gave its mom a big kiss and happily accepted itself for who it was.
From then on, the little turtle lived joyfully with its mom, proud of its beautiful, strong shell.
Moral of the Story:
Each of us is special in our own way.
What may seem like a weakness could be our greatest strength.
Instead of trying to be someone else,
love yourself and shine just the way you are.
