First let me say that I have never really felt like I was small. I know I am because the measuring tape says so and my clothes size gives me a clue, but when I really notice it is when I compare myself to other normal-sized folks. To be even further honest, I like being small, save for when I have to alter almost everything I wear or when I cannot reach even the lowest of shelves.
I like that I can fit in most places and I don’t take up much room, and people genuinely feel like they can say almost anything to me, mostly sweet things. Little children will point and say, “Hey, look at that little girl,” and it makes me smile. People tend not to be intimidated by someone who is way under five feet, and I also love it when people meet me for the first time and say, “You sounded much bigger on the phone.”
There is a story I love, and if you have already heard it, just skip over this part. I am sure this story has been told in different ways, but I am going to use the one John Maxwell retold, revised a little in Karen fashion.
There was a little girl at a carnival with her father and, as she stepped up with her chin barely reaching the counter and her eyes looking upward, she asked for the biggest cotton candy they had. Her father lovingly looked at her and said, “Honey, that is an awfully big cotton candy for such a little girl.” With the greatest confidence and a smile bigger than she was, she said, “Don’t worry, Daddy. I am much bigger on the inside.”
That’s the thing. The whole thing!!! If you feel bigger on the inside, you can do big things and even things that feel much bigger than you. I also want to twist the story just a little further because I believe your Heavenly Father would say something similar: “Don’t you worry. You are much bigger on the inside.” You are fully equipped to tackle and accomplish whatever you are called to do and, more importantly, to answer that call.
What have you been called to do that feels bigger than you? Do you feel like you have to have all the things in place before you begin, or do you trust that you can take the first step and God will give you the second and then the third? Are you waiting for all of the fear to disappear before you take the leap?
I have a few things right now that I am working on and some big decisions to make. For some weird reason, 67 has felt like my year. My year of courage. My year of taking big chances and feeling even bigger on the inside. It is not that I feel like time is running out, but I do keep saying, “Okay, Karen, you are primed and ready. Take the leap. Eat that big cotton candy, even if you have to share it with others so you can get it all down.”
Perhaps feeling bigger on the inside has allowed me to keep trying, but it has also made me realize that I may have to stop doing some of the things that are not leading me toward the next big thing. I don’t have all the answers right now, but I sure am asking the questions, and I feel pretty confident that the same God who has led me here will lead me there.
Here’s to hoping that you continue to do the things in your life that allow you to feel bigger on the inside so you can have a bigger-than-you life.
grateful,
karen
Thought for the Day: You don’t have to be big enough for the calling. You just have to trust what God has already placed inside you.
