Why Did God Become Small?

Unwrapping the crêche, Kelly Tolman’s daughter asks why God wanted to become small.

My daughter, Fiona, has been especially spicy these past few months. She's five, she's adorable, and she's a handful. 

The other day I heard the kids arguing in the bedroom. After a minute or so, Fiona came running into the living room and collapsed on the floor in a pile of glitter, red hair, and tears. I sat beside her, listening while she wailed. Through tears she explained why she hated being small; it meant everyone got to things before she did — the last blueberry muffin, the pink marker, the red game piece in Candy Land, the last stick of gum. … She went on to complain that because she was small, she wasn't faster than anyone, she wasn't taller than anyone, and she wasn't bigger than anyone and she was DONE!  

I took her into my arms and said all the mom things, to which she replied, “I want to be big.” 

The smallest piece of the crêche  

A few days later, we were opening up the tubs of Christmas decorations to find the crêche. As my husband pulled out each gently wrapped piece, Fiona's eyes widened. “Which one is that?” She asked with each figure. He unwrapped the Wiseman; all three were long and sturdy. Then he pulled out Joseph, who stood strong against His long staff. Mary's figurine was next. She knelt, but the beautiful folds of her mantle made her a bit wider than the others.

Finally, he pulled out the smallest wrapped figurine. “What's that one?!” Fiona asked.

“It's Jesus!” We answered. As he unwrapped the tiny figure, Fiona watched intently.

After thinking about it for a moment, I held Him up and said, “See, Jesus is small like you.” Then we set Him down in the center of the manger with all the other figurines gathered around Him.

Then she asked, “Why would God want to be so small?” 

You know how long I have been chewing on that question? From the mouth of babes … 

Why did Jesus become small? 

During this time of preparation for Advent, we are all invited to mediate over this question: Why did Jesus become small? Our almighty God can raise or strike down the walls of the greatest temple with the blink of His eye, yet He made Himself small to worship within the temple walls alongside His family and neighbors. At the dawn of time itself, God instituted the sacrament of marriage yet made Himself small to attend a wedding feast and to delight in showering the bride, bridegroom, and their guests with wine. God is the author of all life, the science of generation, and the power that begets all things, yet He made Himself small so that through the womb of His mother, He could enter into the vulnerability of man. 

In his vulnerability, man is small, in need of the gifts of hope, healing, and redemption. This Advent, we prepare for God Who humbly gives us these gifts in the way we can most effectively receive them — by being small.  

Fiona's smallness brings with it a simplicity that can receive and rest in joy. In her smallness, she doesn't resist me or her father's embrace, she seeks comfort curled up in the warmth of our laps, and she runs to us in both her excitement and sorrow. No wound can heal without our kiss, no road can be crossed without our hand, and no day is complete without the assurance of our heart. The vulnerability of her smallness isn't a weakness; rather, it’s a strength that allows her to receive all that she needs to grow and flourish. 

We read in Scripture that Jesus hungered, slept, prayed, laughed, cried, and enjoyed friends. In doing so, He sanctified our every tender moment of need and vulnerability so that we can slip our hand into His and walk through these moments together. Christ teaches us to seek comfort in our Heavenly Father's lap, to run to Him with the joys and sufferings of our hearts, to ask Him to kiss and heal our wounds, to hold our hands as we navigate our path, and to always settle in the assurance that He is with us, always.  

An answer for Fiona 

It took a few days for me to answer Fiona, and I pray that as Advent continues and as the years pass, my understanding will grow as I learn how to become smaller myself. Over a bowl of Cheerios, I told her that God, who has the might to move mountains, to command the seas and sky, and to hold the sun, moon, and stars in their place, made Himself small so that you can easily fit your hand in His and follow where He leads you. With a smile and milk on her chin, she said, “Good! I like holding hands.” 

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Copyright 2024 Kelly Tolman
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