I am lame in both feet.
When he was five, someone tried to kill him. Fast as his little legs were, they weren't enough. Being part of the royal family was a plush life, before now. Wealth, friends, and a promised future. But when the news of King Saul and his family's murder busted through the palace gates, things changed.
Desperate to save little Mirab Baal (meaning, "opponent of Baal"), his nurse scooped up his small body and multiplied his speed. She had to get him into hiding, but she tripped. His small body sailed through the air and landed on the unforgiving ground. His back was broken, his legs immobilized. In that moment of fear and retreat, the course of his life was altered. His childhood was washed away with the spring rains. He would never run, play, or inherit a kingdom. Or, so he thought.
Years later, he lay in a cold, dark corner of his home, unable to move. Unable to care for his land, his livestock, his own son. His new name - Mephibosheth, "Son of Shame." Under his own power, he could accomplish nothing. His brother and grandfather had attempted to kill the new king. By association, he was an enemy, and now a messenger stood at his door.
"The king wants to see Mephibosheth, now"!
The terror from that childhood day rushed through his veins. His grandfather tried to kill this king. His brother had tried. And now, lame and unable to run, Mephibosheth would face the sword he deserved.
Soldiers rushed in and placed him in a chariot. His legs provided no suspension, and his body ached from the long journey to the palace in Jerusalem. Now on the floor before the most powerful man in the kingdom, he couldn't bear to look up. He placed his face on the ground, knowing what was coming.
With an unexpected kindness, the king called out, "Mephibosheth."
Fear gripped him, limiting his words: "Your servant..."
"Do not be afraid. I didn't bring you here to kill you, but to show you kindness on behalf of your father, Jonathan. Likewise, you are the grandson of a king, and I am going to restore to you all that was his. The land, the servants, the prosperity - it's all yours. As of now, you are my family. You will eat at my table."
"What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"
King David addressed his question with an action. He declared that all that belonged to Saul be passed on to Mephibosheth. II Samuel 9:13 ends the story: "And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king's table; he was lame in both feet."
I am lame in both feet.
I was a dead dog. By association with Jesus, I am the recipient of uncanny amounts of grace. As I sat in the dark corner of my life, with legs broken from sin, my King summoned me. He sent for me, and I was brought into His courts. I was given a new life, things which I'll never deserve. Anything I do is not from my own power, but His.
As I'm reminded by one of my favorite songs - when we're seated at the table, our brokenness is hidden. When we look down, we no longer see legs that won't carry us. We see evidence of a King who carries us. We dine with Him, and HE dines with US. As so shall it be. We will forever lavish in the fountains of mercy and grace, because they are never-ending.
