Sunday 24 November 2013

Does Size Really Matter??

24 Nov 2013


A friend from New York recently commented on the height of my husband, after seeing a photo of my family on our refrigerator.  “Your husband is shorter than you are.” he stated, with a tinge of disbelief.  “Yes.” I said.  “Oh.” he said, sounding as if he were not quite sure how to process that information.  Perhaps he had different expectations of what my husband would look like or perhaps I’m reading the situation all wrong.  In any case, I began to think about size.  


Does size really matter?  Surely, in situations where sheer hulkiness, height and bicep circumference plays a roll (think professional boxers, body guards, bouncers, Mr Universe contests), then, yes, size really does matter.  Also, if you want to carry a whole lot of people across the Atlantic Ocean, you need a very, very big boat or airplane, so then, yes, size really does matter.  Furthermore, it’s no good trying to pass a big bulky camel through the eye of a very tiny needle; you need very slim thread for that, so then, yes, size really does matter. 

     

But, when my husband gives me ‘that look’ with kind, gentle eyes, and then holds out his hand to take mine, size makes no difference at all (unless you count the humongous size of his heart!).  Our daughter is shorter than me, as well, but she is the PERFECT size for a girlie hug (which calms my soul and gives me love).  Our son is the tallest of us all, but at 5’ 9” you could hardly say he’s tall for a man.  Yet, his intelligence, his capacity for kindness, his tender heart and his love for Jesus make me proud to call him my son.


The one thing about Border Terriers (or most terriers, for that matter) is that they think they are a big dog.  Digger weighs all of 22 pounds and yet, in his eyes, he’s a massive, horse of a dog that boxes in the heavy-weight division.  If threatened (by another dog, a bike, an unsuspecting jogger), he dives in for the fight.  He’s scrappy and uses his whole being to stand his ground.  Mostly, this frustrates me because it’s no good chasing a bicycle which can outrun him or an innocent jogger who just wants to get in her morning jog before work. This sort of ‘standing your ground’ gets him nowhere and makes me crazy!  What I admire, however, is his insistence and his faith that, even at the ripe old age of 12, he’s still got it going on!!  In his eyes, he’s a giant amongst giants, not a Goliath, but a David, small and scrappy, fierce and unafraid. He pulls out the big guns when needs be.  On the other hand, I have seen him gently and carefully greet the tiniest of puppies, freshly weaned and exploring the Nickey Line, so as not to harm or scare them.  I’ve witness his taking a small doggy treat from my (then 10 years old) daughter’s hand, doing so carefully, patiently, sweetly so as not to bite her fingers.


What about my faith in me, in God?  Do I think of myself as small and scrappy yet fierce and unafraid? Do I think that I, as David, can confront my Goliaths head on, using only what I have and what God has given me?  On one occasion, when Jesus was out with his own disciples, they were approached by a desperate, distraught and overwhelmed father whose son was desperately ill and was out of his mind. The father had asked Jesus’ disciples for help but they could do nothing.  Jesus ordered that the boy be brought to him and then proceeded to heal him of his affliction.  When asked why they couldn't heal the boy, Jesus says to the disciples, “because you’re not yet taking God seriously. The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle.” (Matthew 17:14-20, the Message translation)  


I look at Digger and admire his courage, tenacity, strength.  He takes himself seriously and uses what God has given him to do what he has to do.  Then I realize that Jesus promised me that I when I trust him I would not only do what he did but would do even greater things than he did on earth. (John 14:11-14)  Me??? Do greater things than Jesus did??? Seriously???  So I’m told.   It seems, then, when it comes to size, it’s not the size of  MY body, My bank account, My Ego, My Reputation, My work, MY faith, or My strength that matters at all.  What matters is the size of my God and the enormity of what he has promised, the vastness of his faithfulness, the overwhelming immensity of his grace and the limitlessness of his love.  When he is for me, who can be against me?


p.s. This is a photo sent to me by my dear, dear friend, Patti. Her two dogs and her husband are on this sofa.  If I were to guess, I would say that Gemma was the Alpha Dog in this situation (no offense, Unc Da!).  Thanks, Patti, for sharing this with me.


                                             (l to r) Gemma, Sophie and Unc Da!

1 comment:

  1. I love it!! It warmed up my heart and thoughts :)
    xx

    ReplyDelete