I was going through some books I had saved, to read to the grandkids and came across Alice in Wonderland.  I picked up the book and randomly read through a few pages and was struck with the character of Alice herself.  Are we like Alice?

The Mad Hatter told her, “You’ve lost your muchness”.  Throughout the book there is a play on words which could refer to her size, which changes.  Entering Wonderland, being small not only makes her vulnerable but also reveals something about her character. She has been hemmed in by others’ expectations in life and is now further constrained by the belief that she is the wrong Alice.

Only by embracing a grandness of spirit, or muchness, is she able to courageously cut her own path. She embraces her identity as Alice, not as others expect, but as she really is. And that changes things not only for the strange world she landed in, but her own world as well. She finally has the courage to embrace her identity and live by it, including doing the seemingly impossible.

Like Alice, we may feel boxed in due to the circumstances beyond our own control.  Yet grandness of soul, or muchness, comes when we develop eyes to notice the abundance that God has given each of us.  This is not because we have material riches or everything works in our favor. Rather, we can be content by recognizing that our muchness actually are gifts from our Creator. We are strengthened to face our circumstances.

Of course, we all have often misused the promise in Scripture that we can do everything in Christ, tacking it onto whatever goal or act we desire. and win the game.: “I can do all things through Christ,” and watch the monster fall dead at your feet. But that is not how the Apostle Paul used this promise, as if it were a magical mantra.

As Believers, we all have needs and wants but we also trust that our Lord will provide strength for what we face in life.  That does not mean we are invincible or immune to pain. Instead, we have courage in the knowledge God always loves us. 
                                        Therefore, like Alice, we  each have our own Muchness!