2 Samuel 19:24-43
As
King David arrives to the edge of the Jordan River, this passage covers
a dialogue with two different people - Mephibosheth and Barzillai.
If you recall, Mephibosheth was the crippled grandson of Saul whom David invited into his home and gave him meals.
Barzillai is a very wealthy elderly man who's taken care of all of David's financial needs while he's been gone.
Before the king crosses the river, he meets up with these two guys. They have a relationship together that's been going on for years. David has an immense respect for both of them, and sees each of them as friends. David offers to take care of Barzillai in return for his benevolence, but Barzillai declines because he says he's "too old to be any good for anyone." Instead, he offers his servant Kimham to David, and David accepts. David chooses to take Kimham into his home to treat him like royalty.
The king of Israel, amidst war, politics, and feuding clans, takes the time to maintain ongoing relationships with the handicapped and the elderly. This would be like the president of the United States inviting someone crippled and someone elderly to live in the White House.
Although David has all the responsibilities of a king, he's added as a primary factor in his job description to build relationships with a crippled man whose grandfather was his enemy, and an elderly man who doesn't have much life left in him.
What jumps out at me in this passage is where I stand in relation to the handicapped and the elderly. I have a friend who has cerebral palsy and is living in a facility for people with severe disabilities. He's very lonely, and has been calling me nonstop. All he wants is to hang out and to experience normal again. The truth is, I have been ignoring him. The more he calls, the more I don't want to talk with him. He has become an obligation to me.
I have one grandmother and one grandfather left. They are the elderly people in my life. I speak to each of them probably four times a year, even though they live within miles of me. I'm afraid their old-ness is going to rub off on me or something. I act as if they're not there, they're invisible. They're forgotten. If I just deny that they're here, I won't have much trouble when they're not here. I'm afraid that if I start trying to work on my relationship with them, it's going to hurt when they die. So, I stay away and rely on our family gatherings to bring us together, even though I don't really talk to them.
Needless to say, I haven't created the space as King David did. I haven't taken the time to choose to maintain relationships with the handicapped and elderly people in my life. My heart tells me that it's time to start doing this, to start working on something that I'm not good at. My heart tells me that something beautiful could come out of it.
Today's Action: Take my planner and set aside time next week to start a weekly practice of building relationships with my friend who has cerebral palsy, my grandmother, and my grandfather.
If you recall, Mephibosheth was the crippled grandson of Saul whom David invited into his home and gave him meals.
Barzillai is a very wealthy elderly man who's taken care of all of David's financial needs while he's been gone.
Before the king crosses the river, he meets up with these two guys. They have a relationship together that's been going on for years. David has an immense respect for both of them, and sees each of them as friends. David offers to take care of Barzillai in return for his benevolence, but Barzillai declines because he says he's "too old to be any good for anyone." Instead, he offers his servant Kimham to David, and David accepts. David chooses to take Kimham into his home to treat him like royalty.
The king of Israel, amidst war, politics, and feuding clans, takes the time to maintain ongoing relationships with the handicapped and the elderly. This would be like the president of the United States inviting someone crippled and someone elderly to live in the White House.
Although David has all the responsibilities of a king, he's added as a primary factor in his job description to build relationships with a crippled man whose grandfather was his enemy, and an elderly man who doesn't have much life left in him.
What jumps out at me in this passage is where I stand in relation to the handicapped and the elderly. I have a friend who has cerebral palsy and is living in a facility for people with severe disabilities. He's very lonely, and has been calling me nonstop. All he wants is to hang out and to experience normal again. The truth is, I have been ignoring him. The more he calls, the more I don't want to talk with him. He has become an obligation to me.
I have one grandmother and one grandfather left. They are the elderly people in my life. I speak to each of them probably four times a year, even though they live within miles of me. I'm afraid their old-ness is going to rub off on me or something. I act as if they're not there, they're invisible. They're forgotten. If I just deny that they're here, I won't have much trouble when they're not here. I'm afraid that if I start trying to work on my relationship with them, it's going to hurt when they die. So, I stay away and rely on our family gatherings to bring us together, even though I don't really talk to them.
Needless to say, I haven't created the space as King David did. I haven't taken the time to choose to maintain relationships with the handicapped and elderly people in my life. My heart tells me that it's time to start doing this, to start working on something that I'm not good at. My heart tells me that something beautiful could come out of it.
Today's Action: Take my planner and set aside time next week to start a weekly practice of building relationships with my friend who has cerebral palsy, my grandmother, and my grandfather.
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