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“And though she be but little, she is fierce.” ~ Shakespeare
Believe it or not, I was born tiny, barely 6.5 pounds and I didn’t grow much until about the fifth grade. I soon got over the tiny part, unfortunately, but I could never conquer being vertically challenged. It has haunted me my entire life.
If you are tall, anything above let’s say five foot four, that’s tall to me, you have no idea what it is like to be a shorty. To have to have someone constantly hand something to you. To have to get a step stool to get a can of diced tomatoes out of the cabinet. Or, you can do like I do, you grab the spaghetti strainer because it has teeth and then you jump, pull, and catch, all in one motion!
If you miss, it’s painful.
There are other disadvantages, like not being able to ride the BIG rides at the amusement parks; even when you are 12. Just kidding, but I was close.
But the most frustrating is not being able to see in a crowd of people, standing or sitting. Church is the worst. I just get myself situated, heads all adjusted, and someone six foot three comes in,with a head as big as Shrek, and plops down in front of me. There is no moving to either side because they keep leaning over, flopping their arm on one side or the other, every time I lean, they lean, etc.
Bless their heart. I resign myself to just listening.
I can imagine that is why Zacchaeus decided to scurry up a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus. He too was small. As a tax collector for the Roman government, anything that they could squeeze out of the people over the amount they owed they could keep for themselves. So Zacchaeus was quite a wealthy man. The Jews despised the tax collectors, for obvious reasons.
“As Jesus came by, He saw Zacchaeus up in the sycamore tree and He called to him to come down. He told him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.”
Of course the people were not thrilled with this encounter at all!
“All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’”
“But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’” Luke 19-5-9 NIV.
We may think we have nothing to offer, we are too little in the Kingdom, that we don’t matter or God would never use us. This is a lie from the enemy; everyone is needed in the Body!
No matter what you have done, where you have been, how small or how big your sin, the story of Zacchaeus proves to us that Jesus will reach down and give all of us a chance to change.
Rejoice in His Word today and claim His promises…now go out and share Jesus.
Sharing with Faith Filled Friday, Essential Fridays, Home Matters
Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty have a great week!
Oooh, I love that! And your last line…”carried upon His shoulders so we can learn to see from His perspective” it is a wondrous thought. You have blessed me today. Thank you so much. ♥
Nanette, (your neighbour at Women with Intention) as I read, I thought about the verse in Deuteronomy where it says the Lord carries His beloved all day long upon His shoulders. So it doesn’t matter how tall or small we are, to think we are carried upon His shoulders so we can learn to see from His perspective is a wondrous thought.
Oh my word! You were tiny! I remember when I was sixteen I had to take protein drinks to gain weight after suffering from mono. Good grief, it really worked, ha, and it’s been working ever since 🙁 So good to hear from you, I so enjoyed your story and thankful you are feeling better! ♥
Thank you so much Kristi! I am so happy you stopped in. From one shorty to another, you are always welcome!
There you are, my sweet Nannette. I see we have more in common than I thought.
I arrived in this world at 3 pounds and 3 ounces – True! Growing up was a struggle and I stopped at 5 foot, 1 inch and one eighth (and yes I’m proud of the one eighth). In the Army they rounded it up to 5 ft 2 and eyes of blue. I was so tiny they wouldn’t let me in until I gained weight….can you imagine? I felt taller in the trees I climbed.
I understand. I maybe small – but the God who’s got my back is big….AMEN!
What a lovely spot to land from #TellHisStory. Your blog is like a breath of fresh air. This post was enjoyable and oh-so-true (written from another jump-to-get-it and hope-it-doesn’t-fall club member). He can use us, past sin and all. 🙂
Thanks, Robin, for stopping by. Blessings to you this week.
Wow, this is great! You are right we all have something to offer! This is a great reminder to all us.