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So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.
2 Samuel 9:13

I've been disabled from birth. As a baby, I never learned to crawl. I rolled on the floor to get where I was going. At age three, I started walking with crutches. When I was fifteen, a wheelchair brought me back to rolling as my means of transportation.

Through being disabled all my life, I have noticed that people have widely different reactions to disability. Some people are nervous and have no clue on how to act around the disabled. Others view the disabled as inferior. Some perceive the disabled as special and needing special treatment. And then there are the wonderful people who look beyond the disability and see the individual.

King David didn't care that Mephibosheth was crippled. He only cared that Mephibosheth was his friend Jonathan's son and he desired to show him the same kindness he had received from Jonathan. Mephibosheth became a member of David's household and had full privileges of eating at the king's table. Thousands of years before disability rights laws came into being, David gave a disabled man his right to be treated as an individual, rather than as an inconvenience.

Although my disability is obvious, we each have disabilities. We each have imperfections. We each have areas in which we struggle. And yet God looks beyond all that. He loves us despite our weaknesses. When we fall down, he picks us up. When we make a mistake, he encourages us to try again. When we feeling like giving up, he doesn't give up on us.

We all deserve to be treated as individuals. We all deserve to be loved. However, we can't expect to be treated with respect and love unless we treat others with respect and love. We have to deal with people as God deals with us, looking beyond the imperfections and seeing a person needing love.

Copyright 2003, Jason Mitchener. All rights reserved.

About Jason Mitchener: Jason is the owner and webmaster of crosshome.com. Jason was born with a rare neuromuscular disease that now confines him to an electric wheelchair and requires him to use a ventilator to breathe. His body may be confined, but his spirit soars free. His song lyrics and devotional writing inspire and encourage Christians to draw closer to God. Jason is the author of the book Just Passing Through: Notes from a Fellow Traveler. Visit his web site at: http://www.JasonMitchener.com E-mail Jason

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