Grant B. Caldwell
03/13/09
Jesus said, “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Matthew 6:27).
Physical Size — In this text, Jesus stresses that physical size is not determined by thinking about it. Certainly we may gain or lose weight, but there are certain things physically which do not happen because we fret about it. Our Korean daughter, like many Orientals, is small. She says she would like to be five foot eight inches tall. Don’t tell her, but just between us, it will never happen. On the other hand, our oldest son is well over six feet. Neither of them have the ability to think or worry their height into a different size. The point of Jesus’ statement is this: Why should we worry about something we cannot change. The Serenity Prayer says, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
The Size Of The Man – While it may not be the primary point of Jesus’ statement, we may well learn from this passage that the size of a man is not determined by his physical stature. Jimmy Dean sang the song Big Bad John. This man’s epitaph was, “Herein lies a Big, Big Man — Big, Bad John.” However in the final analysis, it had nothing to do with his physical size even though he was a big man physically. What it really was about was the bigness of his heart which caused him to make a supreme sacrifice for his co-workers.
A man’s size is not determined by physical attributes, but by his character. “The Lord said to Samuel, `Do not look at his (Saul’s, gbc) appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’” (1 Samuel 16:7).
I was impressed recently by a story I read in Sports Illustrated about a young man who is a kicker and wide receiver for the University of Kentucky. He had been in a bus which had burned. It was the worse drunk driving accident in U. S. history. He had suffered second and third degree burns and was left with many disfiguring scars. He was determined, however, to succeed. That was impressive. There was something which was equally impressive about this story. He met a girl after the fact. She said that after talking to him for just a little while, she thought he was the most handsome man she had ever met. Now that is impressive.
Many limit their lives and their joy by being anxious about physical appearance. The size of a man is in his heart, his soul, and his spirit. To be a really big man or a truly beautiful woman, one must have the strength of character to share his life with the Lord and others.