A Mephibosheth Moment

I was reading about Mephibosheth this morning. Weird name, neat story. Mephibosheth was Saul’s crippled, forgotten son. After David took the throne, he found Mephibosheth and gave him a place at his royal table (2 Samuel 9:8-13 - The Message). Two characters in this story caught my attention – the outcast Mephibosheth and Ziba, the servant middleman who carried out David’s orders. I wonder if Ziba, too, felt overlooked or taken for granted.

I spent some time praying and reflecting on who in my life may feel excluded or overlooked . . . an outsider. I determined to move towards them with a word of encouragement and invitation today. But here’s the crazy thing. The whole time I was doing this there was an old man sitting by himself near me. Clearly lonely, I overheard him say to someone that afternoons were the worst because it was hard to find things to do. Left out. Mephibosheth. Right there at Starbucks.

I was reminded of the words in the song "Change" from a few weeks ago at the Table: “The smallest thing can make a difference. Don’t listen to them when they say you’re just a fool if you think you can change the world.”
Wondering . . . what are the simple things we can do today to make a place for the Mephibosheths or Zibas at The Table? Or at Starbucks?

Laura Crosby serves as the Director of Spiritual Formation at The Table

• The Table's blog