You don’t have to be big to be a giant.

When I was engaged to be married, I remember telling my future husband that his mother was “small but powerful.” Just a couple inches over five feet, she was small in stature, but I saw something bigger in her. She had a strength beyond her size. She was a strong force in the family. She had to be! She was the mother of four big, boisterous boys and a feisty, determined daughter! I was a bit intimidated.

I was the first one to marry one of her sons, and his mother wasn’t too sure she liked the idea. She had a right to be concerned. Paul was only 18 when we got married!! Relatives and friends were telling her she should not let it happen. So she did what a good mother should do. She prayed! This is the true source of her strength. After much prayer, God assured her that this was indeed His plan and that He would provide and take care of us – her son and first daughter-in-law. And Mom C has been on my side ever since!

My mother-in-law is strong because of her intimate relationship with God. This close walk with God began when she was a child. I love her story of praying as a child that God would teach her to play the piano. She got up the next morning, sat down at the piano and played!! She’s been playing for Him ever since.

She is also strong because of her resourcefulness as well as her reliance on God. She has always done what needs to be done. As pastors of small churches, their financial situation was not easy. She knew how to stretch those dollars, and how to pray for what was needed. When she became a widow at the age of 54, her dependence on God continued. It is only now as I have faced the grief of losing my own husband the same way she lost hers that I understand and appreciate even more the strength of this little woman.

I must confess that there have been times of tension between us, perhaps an underlying sort of competition on my part, needing to prove myself as a young wife, a new mother and a pastor’s wife. This was especially true when she lived with us for a season. I could get snippy. She had a better way of dealing with it. She talked to me about any problem we had. I’m not talking about the fierce competition between us when we played Scrabble or Boggle or Phase10. That was pure fun! We had many good times, laughing and crying and praying together, often accompanied with a cup of tea.

My mother-in-law is now 91 and struggles with memory loss. She tends to repeat herself and has key phrases that she says to different people. But I have noticed that the repetitive statements she makes are all positive in nature. She can’t keep track of all her grandchildren and great grandchildren, forgetting who belongs to who. But she knows me! Almost every time she sees me, she hugs me and says with a smile, “You’re more like a daughter to me.” And I am honored.

She is smaller now than ever. Physically frail and shrinking in size, she doesn’t seem to be the strong woman of influence she once was. But to me she is still that little giant I admire.

Size isn’t what makes you a giant. It’s who you are, what you do, and who you rely on that determines your strength and success. I recently read the exciting Biblical account of David and Goliath, and I wondered, “Who is the true giant in that story?” Is it Goliath who in spite of his bigness ends up dead on the ground with his head cut off? Or is it the young lad brave enough to stand against the enemy because he knew God and relied on Him for the victory?!

I recently heard someone say, “Don’t underestimate the small ones.” And think about this:

Many small people, in small places, doing small things can change the world. –Eduardo Galeano

This is especially true when that small person or small place or small position is used by God. I am reminded of Susanna Wesley, a simple mother who taught her many children to love God and who is now known as the “mother of Methodism” because she was the mother of John and Charles Wesley. She had this to say about smallness: I am content to fill a little space if God be glorified. It is this kind of attitude that Jesus was referring to when He said, Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.(Luke 9:48)

I am grateful for my mother-in-law, for her example and her godly strength. A preacher and teacher as well as wife and mother, her knowledge of the Scriptures was astounding! And if you asked her to pray for you, be assured she did, and still does! I am proud to call her Mom. She is indeed “small, but powerful”, a little giant for God!

Her sons tower over her, but still look up to her!

(My husband is not pictured as this was taken a few months after his death. Also, since this picture was taken one of her other sons, Lawrence, has passed away. Her grief is great, but her faith is greater.)

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