Last summer our oldest son learned the hard way why football is played with pads and unfortunately broke his arm trying to tackle his older cousin. This summer Andrew took a tumble on the stairs and ended up breaking his leg. We either have the worst luck ever or we’re entirely too clumsy in our endeavors. Either way, we’re hoping Colton breaks the cycle next summer. Having a broken leg is bad enough but being 2 years old with a broken leg is even worse….especially when your two other brothers are constantly running, jumping, and playing around you. As good as Andrew has been throughout the ordeal, it truly does break our hearts to see him literally army crawl through the house trying to keep up with his brothers, only to realize that they are long gone by the time he arrives.

A couple nights ago Renea had prepared dinner and asked the boys to come sit down to eat just as she always does. As you can imagine, me and the 3 boys are quick to grab a seat as we all love to eat. This time was different though. As the boys made their way to the table, I noticed Andrew trying his best to maneuver into the kitchen but was having a hard time doing so as a result of his bulky cast. Without thinking, I reached down, swooped him up and placed him in his chair. Once he was in his chair and up close to the table, you could no longer see his big, bulky cast. Instead, all you could see was his big contagious smile as he was no doubt ready to chow down.

As I sat there eating my dinner, I couldn’t help but think of the story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, who just happened to be David’s best friend. As the story goes, when Mephibosheth was five years old, his nurse snatched him up in a hurry as they ran for their lives from the Philistines. In the mad panic, the nurse dropped Mephibosheth. As a result of the fall, both his ankles were broken and he was left incurably lame. Long story short, Mephibosheth finally made it to a small village called Lo Debar where he hid in fear of the Philistines (who killed his father and grandfather) and David (the new king who had the right to kill him and all the family of the previous king).

Lo and behold his worst fear finally came true one day as he saw David’s men coming for him. You can imagine the horror that Mephibosheth felt when he saw David’s royal caravan roll up at his house. After all, David had every right to kill him as he was the direct descendant of the previous king, King Saul. Fearing the worst, I can imagine Mephibosheth being carried into one of the royal chariots watching his life flash before his eyes. Once they arrive at the palace, Mephibosheth comes to the realization that his life has come to an end. As he is carried in and placed before David, he bows his head and asks “Who am I that you pay attention to a stray dog like me?” There in that moment, David flips the script and explains to him that from that moment on he would be considered his own son and all that belonged to Saul and Jonathan would now be his.  On top of all that, he demanded that from that point forward, every meal he had would be at the king’s table with his own royal family.

Think about this for a minute. Mephibosheth gets promoted from a deserted place called Lo Debar to the king’s table. Sure, David could have sent money to Mephibosheth at Lo Debar. Maybe a lifelong annuity would have gotten the job done. But David gave him more than a pension…he gave him a place–a place at his royal table! As David and all the royal family gathered for dinner every night, there was Mephibosheth. Pulled up at the royal table you could no longer see his disability. All you could see was a boy smiling from ear to ear ready to chow down.

I love that story as it’s a perfect example of how God treats us. So many times we are broken down by life and as a result, we’re left beat down and battered with no hope. But God sees us crawling around almost to the point of giving up and reaches down, swoops us up in His loving arms, and places us in a seat at His table of grace. It doesn’t matter how difficult life gets, there is always a seat at the Master’s table. He truly is a good, good Father!

Praying for you always,

Dustin