THE SIZE OF A SOUL

the size of a soulI remember the old adage quite well from before the days of full height and face hair. In case you’ve forgotten the old adage, consider this a reminder. One of the first times I ever heard it used was in reference to a kid who went to our church and was around four years older than me and in high school.

The kid was making a name for himself on the basketball court, even though he was short by basketball standards. That was good news to a short point guard on the junior high’s team at the time… I overheard a couple of the elderly ladies at church having a conversation about that kid, who was a nice guy by the way.

I’m not sure the elderly ladies had a clue about basketball, but they were passing on the news they’d learned… I’ve heard elderly ladies in churches are good at that… They were older so I assumed wise. Yes, there was a short time in my life that I did have innocence.

I eavesdropped on the elderly ladies as they were talking about the kid’s game… I’ve heard kids in churches are good at that…

“You know what they say, don’t you?” the generous cheeked woman asked the more frail church pew companion.

“What’s that?” she bit.

“They say dynamite comes in small packages!” They both giggled in appreciation as I pondered the adage briefly before putting two and two together.

Turns out when that kid latched onto his growth spurt he didn’t let go. Last time I saw him he was a lean giant. At least he was from my height back then.

I wasn’t as disappointed as I was surprised that I ended up the shortest of my dad and brothers. But I learned long before my youngest put another adage to work she learned from a preschool teacher, the truth in it, “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.”

I ponder some of the heroes in our culture who are blessed physically. Giants that move like lightning and are strong enough to move cars with their hands, and backs. Impressive to be sure. Their abilities are worthy of note, but the measure of a person when defining their lives can’t be measured by a plain ole number.

I remember learning about a war hero that I watched in black and white re-runs on TV as a kid named Audie Murphy. Although relatively small, especially by today’s standards, his bravery was beyond measure. Tough to the core, the core of his soul. Only God that made the heart and soul can measure the size of it.

I’m reminded too of the history recorded in the Bible of heroes and what God said about them. Such as Samuel regarding David compared to his brothers, “…. people look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at their heart.” (partial NIV)

David’s brothers looked like kings. David was still a lad, but God knew the size of his soul.

Those of us chosen by our Father know that He created our souls and doesn’t care a lot about the way our soul cage looks. He cares about our souls and the capacity of those that He’s designed in us to change the world according to His good will.

Friends, let not your eyes be deceived. Only God can measure the size of a soul.