Way back, when the world was fresh and new, Adam and Eve had to leave the beautiful garden they once called home. Life outside was different, and soon, they had a whole house full of children! Not just two or three, but a big, bustling family. Some children were always neat and tidy, with combed hair and clean faces. Others loved to play in the dirt and always seemed to have smudges on their noses and leaves in their hair.

One sunny morning, an angel fluttered down with a message. "Adam and Eve," the angel announced, "the Lord is coming to visit you today!"

Eve gasped. "Oh my goodness! The Lord is coming! Everything must be perfect!" She looked around at her children. Some looked lovely, but others... well, they looked like they’d just wrestled a friendly piglet. There wasn't much time to get everyone sparkling clean.

So, Eve had an idea. She quickly washed the faces and brushed the hair of her prettiest, most well-behaved children. She dressed them in their best clothes. "Now you stand right here and look your best," she told them.

But what about the others? The ones with tangled hair, dusty knees, and maybe a jam stain or two? Eve decided to hide them. "Quick, quick!" she whispered. She tucked some behind a big stack of hay, a few under an overturned wash tub, and a couple more behind a large curtain. "Stay very quiet!" she instructed.

Soon, the Lord arrived. He had a kind smile and a gentle voice. Eve proudly presented the clean and tidy children. "These are my children, Lord," she said, beaming.

The Lord looked at each child with warmth. To one, He said, "You shall be a powerful king, ruling with wisdom." To another, "You shall be a great noble, respected by all." He blessed another to be a clever merchant, and another to be a wise scholar. Each of these children received a promise of a grand and important life.

Eve was thrilled! "Wow!" she thought. "These are wonderful blessings! I should bring out the other children too!"

So, she hurried and pulled the hidden children out from behind the hay, from under the tub, and from behind the curtain. They were a bit dusty, a bit rumpled, and blinked in the bright light. "Lord," Eve said, a little nervously, "I have some more children here."

The Lord looked at this second group. He knew, of course, that they had been hidden, but His smile was still kind.
He looked at one and said, "You shall be a hardworking farmer, growing food for all."
To another, He said, "You shall be a skilled craftsman, making useful things with your hands."
Another was to be a fisherman, another a shoemaker, and another a tailor. These were all good, honest jobs, but not quite as grand as being a king or a noble.

Eve was a little puzzled. "Lord," she asked, "why are their futures different from the first children I showed you?"

The Lord replied gently, "Eve, all work is good and necessary. These children will also lead happy and useful lives. But as each group was presented to me, so have I given them their blessings and their paths in the world."

And so, all of Eve's children, the ones shown first and the ones shown later, grew up to fill all sorts of roles in the world, just as the Lord had said.

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