Our Stories
Caleb and the Snowman
By Keith Ferrin | posted 01/17/2008
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'" (Matthew 18:1-3)
The snow was about two feet deep. The temperature had been just warm enough for the snow to pack really nicely. Some of the kids and adults were sledding. Some were working on an igloo about fifty feet away. Some were making slushies out of fresh snow and soda pop. But Sarah, Caleb, and I were focused on the all-important winter task of building a snowman taller than any of us.
It started with the packing of the first tight snowball. It has got to be about the size of a bowling ball before it really rolls the way it needs to. Before too long the first snowball got large enough that there was no more moving it. About three feet across of packed, heavy snow.
Snowball Number Two went pretty quickly as well. When it got to be almost as big as the first one I was - unfortunately - about ten feet away from where I needed to be. I enlisted the help of my beautiful bride and we picked it up, waddled the ten feet, and hoisted it onto its slightly larger counterpart. Packed some of the heavy snow in the crevasses and that thing wasn't going anywhere.
Snowball Number Three was a snap. A quick pack, a few rolls, and I lifted it on top of the other two. More snow to secure it and we were almost done. By then Sarah was nowhere to be found (after all, there were other kids making slushies), but Caleb was right there with me, focused as ever. "Dad, him need a nose. Where's a carrot?" All we could find were those tiny, pre-washed carrots. They'll work, but not quite fitting for a snowman pushing seven feet tall. "Dad, what we gonna use for him's eyes?" No rocks to be found. Hmmm...how about Hershey's kisses? Perfect. "Dad, him need a mouth. More chocolate?" As you might suspect, I couldn't feel good about wasting a bunch of Hershey's kisses, but I had no problem using a banana.
There he stood. Seven feet of solid, rotund snow. A teeny orange speck of a nose. Two chocolate eyes. And a smiling banana mouth. We stood back and admired our work that, I'm sure, would have made Michelangelo wish he had taken more sculpture lessons. Mission accomplished. Or so I thought...
Caleb walked toward the snow giant, placed his little hand gently on his belly, got a very serious look on his face, paused, and then said, as only a three-year-old can, "Dad...make him come alive somehow." Oh, out of the mouths of babes!
In that moment - and for many moments afterward - I wanted to be Caleb. The profound faith. The willingness to ask for help from his father. The ability to be fully "in the moment." The belief that anything is possible.
I wonder what would happen if I lived 2008 like Caleb would? What if entered each situation, trial, relationship, and opportunity with the faith of a three-year-old? What if I admitted my own inability to do everything and was willing to ask my Father for help? What if I chose - every hour of every day - to be fully present in that moment? What if I truly believed that anything is possible?
I don't know, but maybe, just maybe God would reach over, place His hand on me, and make me come alive somehow.
"The glory of God is man fully alive." St. Irenaeus
Alongside,
Keith
To respond to this message, email Keith at keith@thatyoumayknow.com.
Keith Ferrin is founder of That You May Know Ministries.
