"Think Over What I Say"

It's good to start in context from the beginning of 2 Timothy 1 and mull over this paragraph a bit:

2 Timothy 2:1-7

¹ You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. ³ Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. ⁷ Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Contents May Be Other Than They Appear

"Short" should not be considered an insult any more than "tall" is. Last I checked "tall" is almost always considered a good thing. (The line "All the great ones were tall" from "While You Were Sleeping" is even a joke in my family; we're all tall...and Ox is funny.)

Thank God He didn't give us only one color. Nor is the world limited to one terrain, one type of tree, one type of fish, one type of mammal, one type of fruit, one type of culture, one type of music, one type of media, one type of weather, one type of bug, one type of writing utensil.... I could go on but the word "type" is getting old. ..I digress. Don't you see? Isn't it a good thing that we have not just a little variety, but a lot of variety in each of these things I mentioned? And that's not an exhaustive list there.

I'm six feet tall, and sometimes I wear high heels. You feel awkward because I loom over you? Guess what. I feel awkward because I loom over you. (It took me a long time to be convinced that, as a tall woman, it was okay for me to even consider heels, and sometimes I still regret the choice. But, really, they're just another style of shoe--more variety!)

Praise God that we're different!

You see, God is not confined to height specifications. Don't put Him in that box.

Sometimes big things come in little packaging. And sometimes big packaging contains small treasures.

Now I'm not knocking it. The height of our bodies affects who we were, are, and will be as people. It has impact on the makeup of our character. Nothing wrong with that. It's another way that God makes interesting variety.

(Brief theoretical: if I were shorter, say 5'5" because it's convenient and roughly average [If I were shorter than that, I might never have come out of my comfort zone...ugh], I would've been even more reserved than I am now. Though I'm not the quietest person I know, I tend to internalize and observe before I join a conversation, and it takes me a long time to warm up to a new situation. My best friend would have had a harder time pulling me out of my shell after high school and forcing me to reach for my potential by stretching my boundaries. I would never have considered playing volleyball in college [I didn't play, but it was offered out of state]; I probably wouldn't have even liked the game very much. I would be a different person than I am now, because I am a small person in a large body. I'm okay with that now, but if I had been shorter, I wouldn't have grown as much in character and embraced my full personality as much as I have.)

I'm glad I'm the height that I am. I had to grow into it, but I kind of like being a small person in a large body. And I'm still growing. I'm also glad that I know short people, tall people, and average height people, and can call them all friends.

I needed height in order to grow. I needed six feet in order to be brave. Without it, I would still be hiding. I know plenty of short people who aren't stopped by height differences. They didn't need to be tall in order to step up. And now we have, in something seemingly insignificant and out of our control, yet such a large part of who we are, a glimpse of the Creator's design that points us and others to Him in wonder. Isn't God's gift of variety in such a simple thing marvelous?

So, for fun, what do you think you would be like if you were shorter or taller? And how has your height shaped you?

Security

From Ephesians 1

¹³In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is the guarantee^[d] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,^[e] to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1: 13-14, emphasis added)

Crown Him With Many Crowns

On my drive to church, there is a tree that looks like a crown. It is split into three main branches, balanced around the center. I first noticed it during the fall season, when the leaves reveal their inner color and brilliance and the trees around start slimming down to their branches. This tree with three branches and the crown I see remind me of the High King, and I'm not talking about King Peter from Narnia. I'm talking about the King of kings, whose crown when He hung on a tree was full of piercing thorns. God the Three in One, Maker of the universe (including this tree I see), Judge of mankind, and Redeemer of the world.

This little tree is a big reminder to me, and I smile when I see it. I don't see God's face directly (Exodus 33:18-20), but I see His gifts, and His handiwork is all around us. Just open your eyes.