I'm not sure if you saw it, but www.Newser.com carried an article this week titled “Teen With Largest Feet, Hands: 'It's OK to Stand Out': Michigan's Eric Kilburn, 16, Makes Guinness With 13.5-Inch-Long Feet, Hands That Are 9 Inches Plus”.
According to Jenn Gidman, Newser Staff Writer:
When Eric Kilburn was in kindergarten, he noticed he was much bigger than the other kids. By the time he was in fifth grade, he couldn't shop for shoes in regular stores, and finding gloves his size also became a challenge. The Michigan 16-year-old now claims feet that are 13.5 inches long (he wears a size 23 shoe; the average for US men is around a size 8 1/2 or 9) and hands that stretch 9.13 inches—both of which have earned him a place in the Guinness World Records rankings, reports the Guardian.
In a 2023 interview with USA Today, Eric's mom, Rebecca Kilburn (who's 6'2" herself; her husband is 6'5"), noted that her son didn't have any endocrine issues or other conditions that are tied to such growth. Per Guinness, once she had to start buying him expensive custom-made shoes in middle school that cost more than $1,500 a pair, she began wondering if her son might be world-record material - which in turn might lead to companies making some more shoes for him. Eric applied to Guinness when he was 14, when he already stood 6 feet, 10 inches tall (he's grown an inch or so since), and sure enough, Puma and Under Armour came forward with offers of new shoes and boots.
It turns out one person in particular may have been prescient about Eric's future Guinness feat: the obstetrician who delivered him. Eric tells Guinness that, when he was born, the elderly doctor told his mom and dad that the newborn's feet and hands were the largest he'd ever seen on a just-born baby. Today, Eric, who loves gaming and looks up to basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, is proud of his oversize appendages, and he wants others who may feel different from the pack to take pride in themselves.
"It's OK to stand out," he says, per Guinness. "Don't let negativity distract you from your goals." More here on Eric's journey, including the joint pain he suffers and on his correspondence with O'Neal, who helped him through some of what Rebecca Kilburn calls the "darkness."
This story resonated with me. And it’s not because either my feet or my hands are anywhere near the size of this young man’s. I’m average height and size.
But my youngest grandson (affectionately known as “the caboose”)… now, that’s an entirely different story! While just three years old, he is tall for his age. More to the point, he has feet that are nearly as large as those of his eight year old cousin! In short, as the obstetrician referenced in the above story, he has been given a rather large foundation upon which he will invariably one-day build a frame.
I can only trust that the Lord will let me live to see this young man reach maturity; because he’s gonna be a Hoss (as in Cartwright)!
As I have reflected on this, I have been reminded that we all need a proper foundation for growth. This is true with regard to physical bodies and physical structures. And it is also true with regard to the spiritual realm.
In is New Testament Letter to the Ephesians (chapter 2, verses 19-22), the Apostle Paul writes the following:
You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
In this, Paul is reflecting the words of the Prophet Isaiah, the Apostle Peter, and Jesus Himself. Thank God that, in Jesus Christ, we have been given the one true foundation upon which to build our lives. He alone is rock solid! And He alone will serve to support us all throughout our lives!
My grandson has clearly been given a solid foundation upon which to grow his physical body. I trust he will one day build upon it to an impressive level. But more importantly, like all of us, he has also been given a solid foundation upon which to build a vibrant spiritual life. In time, I pray he will do just that!
For my part, I have chosen to do just that. Have you?
STORY SOURCE:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/18/guinness-record-eric-kilburn;
https://www.newser.com/story/356467/teen-sets-world-record-for-biggest-feet-hands.html.
SCRIPTURES:
https://biblehub.com/niv/ephesians/2.htm;
https://biblehub.com/isaiah/28-16.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/1_peter/2.htm;
https://biblehub.com/matthew/16-18.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/7.htm.
According to Jenn Gidman, Newser Staff Writer:
When Eric Kilburn was in kindergarten, he noticed he was much bigger than the other kids. By the time he was in fifth grade, he couldn't shop for shoes in regular stores, and finding gloves his size also became a challenge. The Michigan 16-year-old now claims feet that are 13.5 inches long (he wears a size 23 shoe; the average for US men is around a size 8 1/2 or 9) and hands that stretch 9.13 inches—both of which have earned him a place in the Guinness World Records rankings, reports the Guardian.
In a 2023 interview with USA Today, Eric's mom, Rebecca Kilburn (who's 6'2" herself; her husband is 6'5"), noted that her son didn't have any endocrine issues or other conditions that are tied to such growth. Per Guinness, once she had to start buying him expensive custom-made shoes in middle school that cost more than $1,500 a pair, she began wondering if her son might be world-record material - which in turn might lead to companies making some more shoes for him. Eric applied to Guinness when he was 14, when he already stood 6 feet, 10 inches tall (he's grown an inch or so since), and sure enough, Puma and Under Armour came forward with offers of new shoes and boots.
It turns out one person in particular may have been prescient about Eric's future Guinness feat: the obstetrician who delivered him. Eric tells Guinness that, when he was born, the elderly doctor told his mom and dad that the newborn's feet and hands were the largest he'd ever seen on a just-born baby. Today, Eric, who loves gaming and looks up to basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, is proud of his oversize appendages, and he wants others who may feel different from the pack to take pride in themselves.
"It's OK to stand out," he says, per Guinness. "Don't let negativity distract you from your goals." More here on Eric's journey, including the joint pain he suffers and on his correspondence with O'Neal, who helped him through some of what Rebecca Kilburn calls the "darkness."
This story resonated with me. And it’s not because either my feet or my hands are anywhere near the size of this young man’s. I’m average height and size.
But my youngest grandson (affectionately known as “the caboose”)… now, that’s an entirely different story! While just three years old, he is tall for his age. More to the point, he has feet that are nearly as large as those of his eight year old cousin! In short, as the obstetrician referenced in the above story, he has been given a rather large foundation upon which he will invariably one-day build a frame.
I can only trust that the Lord will let me live to see this young man reach maturity; because he’s gonna be a Hoss (as in Cartwright)!
As I have reflected on this, I have been reminded that we all need a proper foundation for growth. This is true with regard to physical bodies and physical structures. And it is also true with regard to the spiritual realm.
In is New Testament Letter to the Ephesians (chapter 2, verses 19-22), the Apostle Paul writes the following:
You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
In this, Paul is reflecting the words of the Prophet Isaiah, the Apostle Peter, and Jesus Himself. Thank God that, in Jesus Christ, we have been given the one true foundation upon which to build our lives. He alone is rock solid! And He alone will serve to support us all throughout our lives!
My grandson has clearly been given a solid foundation upon which to grow his physical body. I trust he will one day build upon it to an impressive level. But more importantly, like all of us, he has also been given a solid foundation upon which to build a vibrant spiritual life. In time, I pray he will do just that!
For my part, I have chosen to do just that. Have you?
STORY SOURCE:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/18/guinness-record-eric-kilburn;
https://www.newser.com/story/356467/teen-sets-world-record-for-biggest-feet-hands.html.
SCRIPTURES:
https://biblehub.com/niv/ephesians/2.htm;
https://biblehub.com/isaiah/28-16.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/1_peter/2.htm;
https://biblehub.com/matthew/16-18.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/7.htm.