Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 2 Samuel 9:5

This is an amazing story. Every time I read it the scene itself takes many forms in my mind, and the story itself has many teachings. One thing is for sure, the redemptive nature of the entire account could be worth a movie by itself. Mephibosheth, was King Saul’s grandson. The same king that persecuted David because he was jealous and wanted to kill him. Yet we see David here even after Saul had died, purposely and intentionally looking for ways to honor the king, even after his death.

Mephibosheth was crippled since his childhood. Upon hearing the news of the death of King Saul and of his son Jonathan (Mephibosheth’s father), his nurse fled with him fearing for their lives. In the process, he fell and crippled both of his feet; he was only five years old and yet he was marked for the rest of his life. He was also forgotten and left in a barren land. Years after, David had reign as king of Israel and continued to look for ways to honor the pact he had done with Jonathan which takes us here we in the middle of this scene. The story continues to narrate how David returned to Mephibosheth all of the land and possessions that were originally of his father Jonathan. He was completely vindicated and restored.

But this story illustrates something more relevant to our times. When fathers are absent, children are crippled in many ways and they are unable to walk correctly in life, just as it happened to Mephibosheth. When something as fundamental as the fatherhood is interrupted, everything else comes crumbling down. We cannot prevent the absence of a father due to death, just like this story, but we can prevent the absence of fathers due to life distractions. When we chase the wind, this endless pursuit of temporal recognition comes at the expense of an eternal impact; we are crippling our children and therefore our society at large.

It is painful to mend the self esteem and the heart of child that has been rejected and forgotten. As a father, I am especially convicted of this. There is no one else in this earth that can make a bigger impact in the lives of my children than me. I don’t want them to walk in life emotionally crippled. Even when I know I have made mistakes along the way, I am reminded that as David’s actions were redemptive in the life of Mephibosheth, I need to be mindful and be present in the lives of my children so they are thrusted into their God given destiny.

How many children have been given a plight in life that would never compare to the one we live? What are we doing to change that? It is so easy for us to make a change through organizations such as Compassion International, World Vision and many more. And yet we find excuses not to do good. I know I did. Maybe not intentionally, but I did. If anything is stopping you to make a small change, you are making an excuse. David, even after Jonathan’s death, found a way o do good and he did it exceedingly abundantly more. He invited Mephibosheth to eat with him at his table from that day on. The interesting fact is that David didn’t had to do any of that, but he did anyway. You and I might not be able to invite to our table children’s around the world, but we can help others to do so where they live.

At the end of the day, it is not so much as how nice, articulate or excellently you can present an idea that matters. Help a neighbor, a widow, an elder, a charity in your community, a coworker. What matters most is what you do. In the end the real currency of “doing” versus “saying” is what makes this world better. So decide what to do. I would suggest you do good.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

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© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2013
“Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”