Size: Small

 

'Until a man is nothing, God can make

nothing out of him."  Martin Luther, theologian

I've gone through a fair amount of my life wishing to be size Small.  It just seemed like such a pleasant thing not to be worried about weight, not to imagine I would be judged in a particular way - always obsessing about what others might think of me; my thoughts under their control.

Don't we let outward appearance define so much of our inner self - our confidence, our ability to interact with others, our motivation to move forward, our self-assurance in success?

Like carrying 10 or 20 extra pounds might impede our intellect, our ability to accomplish something, or our capacity to love others or show them Jesus' love.  If we need to lose weight for our health, that's one thing; for our vanity, that's another.

But there's another kind of small-

I love reading the story of Samuel looking for Saul's successor in 1 Samuel 16.  Saul had rejected following the Lord, so the Lord rejected him.  God sent Samuel to find and anoint the next king of Israel, and after being fairly confident that God was going to choose one of the seven fine strappy sons of Jesse that were before him, God told him-

"The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward

appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

So Samuel asked if there were any more sons.  And lo and behold, David was out in the pastures tending to his sheep.  After affirmation from God, David was anointed by Samuel, and the Lord's Spirit came upon him. 

David was just doing what he knew to the best of his ability- protecting his sheep from harm and spending time with the Lord.  He had no idea or aspirations of being the next king of Israel.  He was the smallest and youngest of his brothers and it seems like they probably didn't let him forget it, as brothers do.  Then not  much later, David slayed Goliath.  God uses small.

Ever feel small and insignificant?  Like your life is lived in a less than grandiose way and no one really notices any accomplishments you might have?  Or though you try, things don't always result in what is viewed as successful?

Uh-huh, these are just the lies Satan likes to keep us down with.  Maybe they don't cause a huge cloud of depression over us, but they form a thin veil of defeat little by little.

It's a battle, so put on your fightin' armor, and with humility towards an awesome God who loves you - literally speak these truths into your mind:

✚ Even though we were still sinners He died for us Romans 5:8

✚ We are His masterpiece Ephesians 2:10

✚ We are chosen, holy, and God's own  1 Peter 2:9

✚ We are perfectly and wonderfully made Psalm 139:13-14

✚  We are valued; every hair on our head is numbered  Matthew 10:29-31

✚ We are made in His image Genesis 1:27

✚ He takes delight in us  Zephaniah 3:17

Sometimes a size Small means we aren't the center of our universe, we don't seek attention, we aren't being fulfilled by the feedback of the world.  John the Baptist so humbly stated-

"He must become greater and I must become less."  John 3:30

Feeling small is good when we want Jesus to be bigger in our life.

✙ Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making us worthy in every way by Your death on the cross.  You tell us in innumerable ways how much You love us.  Forgive us when we mourn the loss of the world's love and adoration, as it cheapens Your death & resurrection.  Focus our minds on You and take ourselves off the throne of our lives.  We need Your help, Holy Spirit.  Use us to first understand our value in You, and then to communicate that to others.  Amen.