That's About the Size of It

I'm amazed by how much wisdom I gleaned from three different sources: Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and Winnie The Pooh.

I've heard pastors in church over the years take one bible verse and expound on it for over an hour in ways I've questioned whether or not God ever intended when He spoke it. Maybe God didn't mean all of that you just said. Maybe when he said the sky was blue, he just meant the sky was blue. (If you want to argue that point, go somewhere else...because this post isn't about that.)

It's about all of us. It's about how God can sometimes use something outside of scripture to impact us every bit as much as something taken straight from Psalm 23.

Cue Sesame Street:

I've got a lot of memories from Sesame Street, but this one little song is my favorite. I had no idea that when I was little and watching this piece (with my Winnie the Pooh cup full of Apple Jacks sitting in my lap) that I was witnessing one of the greatest biblical truths of all time.

In true pastoral form, I'm going to EXPOUND upon the PROFUNDITY that is this song.

"Oh everything comes in its own special size.
I guess it can't be measured by where you put your eyes.
It's so big when you're close, it looks smaller back a bit.
That's about the size of it."

So first, we are talking about how something big can actually look small from far away. The same goes for the world we see on TV. Everything fits neatly into that little square of technology on the wall, but when I traveled to Romania and saw those rolling hills and magnificently painted church ceilings, well...let's just say my heart was physically unable to take it all in without nearly bursting.

Also, sometimes we take something that's kind of pointless and small, and turn it into something huge because we refuse to stand back and look at it from a distance. Maybe there is a man on TV at a podium talking very BIG about things, and he's making you feel very small. Remember, he's no bigger than you are, and actually when it comes to your life...he's pretty inconsequential, all in all. Also, you can do more to impact your world than he ever can. You just have to step out and ACT.

Moving on now.

"Oh the big becomes the little when you see it back a bit.
The huge becomes the dinky, which is just the opposite.
Of the larger that gets smaller it never seems to quit.
That's about the size of it."

Sometimes we look at something and marvel at how big it is. When I was little, I was overwhelmed by my father's height. Now that I am 43 years old, my father is actually a bit shorter than me. Not by much, but I've got a couple of inches on him. It doesn't make him a smaller person, it just changes the perspective.

Also, as a photographer, I've learned that when you take a photo of a child while you are standing up, it makes them look small. If you lie down on the ground and take the same photo, suddenly the child towers over you! The way I prefer to do it is to get down on one knee. Not only does it equalize the height difference, but it connects you on a personal level with the child. You are putting yourself in THEIR place.

They will notice that. It's a pretty big thing. Try it.

"That the big become the little that's the way it seems to go.
That they make up a larger thing is something good to know.
It's nice to know that though we're small there's always room to grow.
And that's about the size of it."

So let's go back to that man at the podium on TV talking very BIG. Now to my father, who looked tall before, but now I see he's actually shorter. Then to that little child you meet on the street. They may seem small, but if you take the time to get down on one knee and listen to them, you'll find that they know stuff you didn't. Big stuff. So big you can't handle it.

(And if you are like me, you'll practically weep when you have to tell them goodbye.)

"That's about the size
Where you put your eyes
That's about the size of it."

We have to be careful not to put too much stock in someone's size. A big man can actually be kind of "dinky" when you step back a bit. A young man can actually get smaller as he gets older, and contrary to scientific research, it's not so much due to his skeleton settling, but is actually because life has begun to weigh him down. Finally, a small child can stand taller than even the most powerful fascist dictator, and if you don't believe that, you need to read "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson**

In closing, I want to quote two people's words in the area of discussing the size of things we see with our eyes: my grandfather, and Winnie The Pooh. (Both of them were deeper thinkers than many people I've seen in the news today.)

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most space in your heart." - Winnie the Pooh

"If you want to make a difference in your world, don't shake yout fist at an adult, kneel before a child." - Dannie Jester

That'll preach, right there. <><

**Check out "The Boy on the Wooden Box" on Amazon, here.