Jennifer LytleYou Are Not Alone
Have you ever looked around and found nothing but “bad luck” and ruin? Whether figurative or literal: deaths of a relationship, a job, or a dream . . . you are not alone in experiencing desolation and loss. Great men (and women) throughout history have found themselves in similar situations.
Family Flight
2 Samuel 4-9 tells us about one such experience. While most people know who King David was, few who know Mephibosheth. The two are connected by the friendship of the annointed, warrior boy, David and Mephibosheth’s father, Jonathan, who was King Saul’s son. Jonathan was especially good to David when David needed a friend. Craziness ensued, however, and the two were on oppossing armed forces.
When Mephibosheth was five years old, his entire family faced a turbulent crisis. His deceased grandfather had been sought and found dead. Mephibosheth’s father, the heir to the throne, was dead too and those who remained of the family frantically fled from the kingdom.
Hand-me-down from Helping Hands
At the time when news came about the deaths of Saul and his three sons, Mephibosheth was in the care of a nurse. She learned about their deaths and imagined, or perhaps was warned of, impending danger. In what appears to be a spontaneous, chaotic rescue attempt, she picked the boy up and ran. Whether for her own protection or in an effort to shield her charge, one cannot know today. The account in the Bible does not offer details beyond the result of her flight. She dropped the boy who was crippled for life. The fate for this newly nobody was to live as a cast away in Lo Debar.
Lo Debar is translated as no thing or no where. That is what became of Mephibosheth, former son to the heir of the kingdom of Israel. He was no one, in no where land. What was his destiny had been shattered literally, relationally, physically and socially. He was put aside with other outcasts without a future.
Bearing the Consequence
Mephibosheth was just a boy when all of this transpired. He was innocent to the chaos and confusion and conflict. By no action of his own, his father was dead and he was separated from his lineage as a potential heir to the throne.
Neither was he responsible for any part in the escape attempt that his caretaker concocted. He had no voice in who would care for him or in what manner they would do so. His consequences were tragic and of no fault on his part. The boy became a nobody in one night before he even could fully comprehend all that had happened. His future physically and relationally had all been broken.
Layover in Lo Debar
Though Mephibosheth’s circumstances were only temporary, his layover lasted years . . . many years. As a boy, there likely was extended family who provided care for him because though crippled, he continued to live. One can assume he ultimately married as he became a father during the layover. Despite his tragedy, he came to be a husband and a father. Perhaps these were moments of joy and laughter?
Maybe you have, like Mephibosheth, experienced a crippling consequence after someone’s chaotic conflict and the ensuing confusion? Perhaps you too have found yourself in a place that looks like nothing and is nowhere. Perhaps you have felt crushed, abandoned, and alone in troubles.
Restored through Relationship
Healing from pain and past traumas occurs within the safety and connection of a trustworthy individual. A human who attends to your thoughts and understands the cry of your heart. It would be ideal for this to occur within families and a tangible, surrounding community. Today’s society often does not yield such. This is where a therapeutic relationship can provide support, help, and hope.
Counseling Opportunity
Therapy at Joyful Journeys Counseling can benefit you if you are ready to engage with your history and discover or accept ways you repeat and replay some of the trauma and tragedy of your past. While it is important to share the pain of your experience, the work does not stop there, it’s initiated at that place. The pain is the instigation towards healing and health. An undercurrent in the work at JJC is a belief that no matter what darkness you have experienced, there is a path forward. You have a future! Hope awaits.
Our counselors are ready to join you on your journey. Schedule a consultation or request Intake paperwork to get started this week. By filling out the form below, our team will reply back with forms to initiate services and/or offer an complimentary consultation to answer any questions you may have.
