My legs are too short too, my courage too meager, my faith too small, my heart too shriveled.

This piece by Calah Alexander I find to be extraordinarily meaningful, beautiful and hopeful:

Last night, as I was telling my son goodnight, I lied next to him on his little bed and we looked up at his ceiling. He started saying this silly little goodnight thing we say to each other — “I love you bigger
than the sky, and more than all the sand, and a thousand times as many stars”– and he suddenly stopped and asked me where heaven is, and if it’s behind the stars. I turned my face on his pillow and looked at his profile…spiky little-boy hair, big eyes. big nose, perfect little lips and chin…and I said, “I don’t know, buddy, but I know that heaven is where Jesus is.” Unsatisfied, he turned his eyes to meet mine and said, “but where is it?” Again I said, “I don’t know. No one does. We can’t get there until after we die. But if you follow Jesus, he will lead you there.”

Liam turned his eyes back toward the ceiling. I saw his chin waver a bit, and then he said, almost in a whisper, “but I can’t follow him, Mommy.” I propped myself up on one elbow and reached out to cup his cheek in my hand. “Why not, little buddy?” I asked him gently. His voice cracked as he said, “because my legs are too short.”

It sounds so cute on paper, but I didn’t feel much like laughing. I felt like crying with him. I kissed his forehead and settled my cheek against his and said, “mine are too short too, Liam. But he comes to us. He’ll come to you, buddy. He’ll never walk t0o fast for you to follow.”

The answer satisfied my 3-year-old, and he fell asleep. I lay awake for a while, though, thinking about how wise my son is, and how in 3 years he knows more about following Christ than I’ve learned in all my 29. My legs are too short too, my courage too meager, my faith too small, my heart too shriveled. Even when he matches his steps to mine I can barely keep up.

At 6’2″, nearly 6’3″, it’d be hard to convince anyone that my legs are too short but little Liam’s wisdom applies to me as well and the fact is that anyone who knows how my faith walk falters at times would agree.

Which I think is evience for the beauty of this post.  Calah goes on to chronicle the shortness of the legs of a number of folks this week but the fact remains that her legs, my legs and your legs are indeed too short as well.

This is though where Christ meets us.  He promises to lengthen our legs or to carry us when our legs cannot.

Our shortened legs are solid evidence for our need of Him whose legs are long and sturdy and load bearing.

The sooner we come to grips with how short our legs are, the sooner He reveals to us how reliable His own are.

Think on that this Sunday morning.

And carry on.