How Tall Are YOU?

HOW TALL ARE YOU?

This Tool Will Measure Height

I was always tall for my age. In fact, when I was in sixth grade, I remember the teacher saying we were the tallest class in years. It was one of the few times I did not tower over my friends.

Friends have never been chosen because of their height, however. I’m more concerned with how tall they are on the inside. 

For example, are they brave enough to stand for the right when pressured to do wrong?

Are they generous enough to take time to help others? Does respect for all people flow freely in creating relationships?

Do they speak from a positive or negative viewpoint? Are they willing to speak the truth with kindness? Do they look for both sides of a story before passing judgement?

I’ve had wonderful friends over the years. But one person stood out so much that I once wrote a story about her.

I could never get into mother-in-law jokes because mine was a jewel. I called her story Five Feet of Loving Kindness. She was a blessing in my life.

Petite is About Five Feet

Mom was petite, but she did many things that made her stand tall in my opinion:

1) When her mother got cancer, after all the siblings had left home, mom faced the care giving challenge with courage.

2)  As a young mother, she contracted polio and was in an iron lung, separated from her family for many months. Mom came home with heavy leg braces but was determined to walk again. Through much prayer and persistence, it happened. She walked with no support and only a slight limp.

3)  Two elderly single women lived next door. They needed help with practical things, so mom volunteered to do their weekly wash. She did it consistently for years.

4)  Her half-sister became widowed and developed dementia. As it worsened, mom would take her a daily lunch and check on her meds. Later, in a care center, mom visited her regularly.

5)  Though a wife and mother of two, mom worked full time. She was active in her church, given to hospitality, and respected in the community.

6)  I enjoyed her sense of humor and her interest in my life. In my ministry, I worked with many volunteers and mom gave me a helpful word: If you know where you are going, people are willing to help you get there.

Hearts are Measured by Attitudes & Actions

Mom exemplified Philippians 2:4 (AMP): Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not (merely) his own interests, but also each for the interests of others.

She also lived Ephesians 4:32 (AMP): And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted) . . .

My question is, “How tall are YOU?” Not just on the outside, but the inside, too.