December 20, 2022

II Samuel 9: 1-11 (NIV)

David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness? . . . Zika answered . . . “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet.” . . . So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.

Who are you? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who are you?*

I have attended many training seminars on disability sensibility. One of the fundamental rules I learned is that we shouldn’t call someone a “disabled person,” but rather, a “person with disabilities.” I didn’t really get the distinction until I thought of it in terms that define me. Consider the difference in being referred to as “the lady with blonde hair” as opposed to merely “the blonde.” While the color of my hair (which is the work of a clever hairdresser) does not define me, being called “the blonde” could be construed as disparaging.

Poor Mephibosheth: grandson of a king; son of another king’s best friend; but known only for his disability. Until the day King David brought him into his household and elevated him to the position of royal prince. Suddenly, Mephibosheth is no longer an object of pity. He is no longer defined by his physical limitations but by who loves him and has shown him compassion.

How do you define yourself? Is your identity determined by something you do well or by your failures? Do you define yourself by what you look like, or perhaps by what someone else has said about you? We have been invited to join the royal household as one who belongs there. We may still have our limp or our warts or our failures, but these things no longer define us. Hear the Lord Almighty say, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters.” (II Corinthians 6: 18)

The Christian life: Step 1: Learn who you are in Jesus Christ. Step 2: Wake up every day and be yourself.*