A Life of Gratitude

Some stories in Scripture don’t shout; they whisper. They slip quietly into the narrative, but if you lean in, they reveal the heart of God in a way that stops you in your tracks.  Mephibosheth’s story is one of those whispers. Long after the dust of battle had settled and Jonathan was gone, David remembered a covenant he had made with his best friend. He didn’t let that promise fade with time. Instead, t he King asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”  (2 Samuel 9:3) That question set everything in motion. It reached all the way to Lo‑Debar, a barren, forgotten place, where a disabled man lived in obscurity. Mephibosheth was lame in both feet and saw himself as a "dead dog," according to scripture. He needed kindness and provision, but he didn’t go looking for the king. The king went looking for him. Mephibosheth wasn’t summoned because he was impressive. He wasn’t chosen because he was useful. He wasn’t invited because ...

As I listened to my pastor talk about King David and Bathsheba’s story, a question rose up in me that I couldn’t shake: Was Bathsheba just collateral damage in King David's story? In 2 Samuel, David saw Bathsheba bathing from his rooftop and summoned her. She was taken by a king who held all the power and ended up pregnant. David tried to cover it up by bringing her husband, Uriah, home from battle. When that didn’t work, he arranged for Uriah to be killed. After Uriah’s death, David took Bathsheba as his wife, and their first child died as a consequence of David’s sin. The weight of David’s sin fell squarely on Bathsheba's life.  The Bible doesn't sanitize the fallout of sin. Instead, it exposes the deep impact sinful choices have on others. Bathsheba was used, her husband was killed, she was forced to marry the king, and on top of it all, she lost her child, all because of choices she didn’t make.  The Bible never blames her. It never even hints that she was at fault. Ins...