Matt Jeffers felt the stares burning into his back as he raced onto the basketball court the first day of camp. "What is he doing here?" the kids thought as they gaped at 3-foot-10-inch Matt--a ninth-grader the size of your average second-grader. But when game play began, his campmates quickly learned that Matt's height is not as much of a shortcoming as they thought. Playing point guard, he darts between the other players, steals the ball, dribbles it with lightning speed across the court and passes it to a teammate who scores.

Diagnosed as a baby with skeletal dysphasia, a form of dwarfism, Matt knows he'll never be tall, but that didn't stop him from falling in love with basketball and attending basketball camp last summer. "Just because I'm small doesn't mean I can't play," he says matter-of-factly. His short stature offers advantages as well as limitations. "I am able to sneak up behind the other players and steal the ball," Matt says, grinning. "The disadvantage, of course is...you're not tall. It's more of a challenge to block and to have a good chance for a shot."

Matt has always known he's a dwarf, but it wasn't until fifth grade that it hit home. His class at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore was studying disabilities and Matt spoke about his condition. The assignment forced him to reflect on his dwarfism and question why he was born with it. "That's when I realized that this is the way God made me," says Matt. "If God is cool with it, then I'm cool with it."

Yet, Matt admits he occasionally wishes he were taller. "If you're short, you're going to wish you were taller at times. Just like if you're heavier than others, you're going to wish you were skinnier at times." But those moments pass quickly when Matt remembers all the good things in his life--his parents, his friends, his love of Judaism, his passion for basketball and table tennis, and his dog, Ricky. "I'm proud and happy of what I have," says Matt, a wide smile spreading across his face.

He's most proud of his ability to help others see the positive side of things. "I like to lift people's spirits," he says. "If I see someone struggling, I try to let him or her know, 'It's not as bad as you think it is.'"

Matt's close friends have long admired his positive attitude, and last year the wider community began benefiting also when he started giving regular divrei Torah at Beth Tfiloh Congregation's teen minyan. In these sermons, Matt teaches lessons learned from his own life, often stressing the Jewish concept of sameah b'helko (being satisfied with yourself).

Matt has opted out of having leg-lengthening surgery that would make him taller. "This is the way God made me," he explains. "If I started lengthening my legs, it would be like saying, 'I don't want to be who God made me to be.'"