January 25, 2023

Many people may remember a song from the musical ANNIE by the title “It’s A Hard-Knock Life.”  A group of orphans, led by Annie, sang about the troubles and woes of life they are enduring, no fault of their own.

Probably more people than we can imagine feel the same way.  Life has thrown them a curveball when they were looking for a fastball.  Bad stuff has come their way, stained the fabric of their life, and painted a dark cloud in their sunshine world.

Relational breakup.  Hitting a deer.  Being blamed for something, you didn’t do.  Having an untruth or exaggeration told about you.  A bird covering your new outfit or hair, after eating a lovely minnow dinner.  A sudden rain at your outdoor wedding.  One political party passing laws and edicts that you feel are unfair and cramp your lifestyle.  An accident, illness, or disease that decides to pay you a visit.

There are two guys by the name of Mephibosheth in the Bible, both in 2 Samuel. The lesser known one was a son of King Saul; who, with some other family members, was delivered by David to the Gibeonites to be hanged in retaliation for Saul’s earlier slaughter of a band of Gibeonites – 2 Samuel 21:1-9.  Speak of a hard-knock life, wowsa.  He paid for daddy’s stupid decision.

The other Mephibosheth was a son of Jonathan, also a son of King Saul but more importantly, King David’s best buddy.  David and Jonathan had made a friendship pact years before, and David had promised Jonathan, to always treat his household well – 1 Samuel 20:12-16.  This story of Mephibosheth displays acceptance, grace, forgiveness, and compassion.

This Mephibosheth was five years old when both his father and grandfather died in a battle. When the report about the deaths of Saul and Jonathan came, Mephibosheth’s nurse took him and fled in panic. In her haste, the child had fallen, or been dropped upon fleeing. Since then, he was unable to walk. For many years thereafter, Mephibosheth lived as an outcast in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel at Lo-debar in the land of Gilead.

“Mephi” didn’t ask to be involved in the family of Saul or in the resulting politics.  He didn’t ask to have so many of his kinfolk wiped out.  He didn’t ask for a nurse to drop him.  He didn’t ask to become lame or paralyzed.  He didn’t ask to live in the mountains of Gilead, a favorite asylum for refugees.  He didn’t ask for a hard-knock life … but it was his, just the same.

Yeah, life can be like that full of unexpected and unwanted hard-knocks.  Can you relate?  How do you respond to those moments … think on that for a while?  Do you honor God in the midst of the trial?  Do you seek to learn from the situation?  Do you realize that others are watching you to learn about your character and your faith? 

The way we REACT speaks volumes to the world.

• R ealize that life is random, unfair, ugly, and the choices of sin and ugly people often affect us.  However, in the midst of this, God is in control and uses the events of life to accomplish His will.
• E xpect in the midst of the trials God will bring people like David and Machir to support, encourage, and help you.  Rather than looking down and complaining, start looking up and cheering God for who he is going to bring across your path.
• A ccept that the hard-knocks can build you into the person God wants you to be.  “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” the song says.  Think about all the Apostle Paul went through and how God used the events of life to shape him to be an incredible agent of change.  Accept that God is aware of your life and uses everything to accomplish His will for you.
• C onsider the lessons you can learn in the midst of the trials.  Lessons about God?  About yourself?  About others?  About the world in general? 
• T hink about the rewards that come from handling life in a Godly way.  Rewards both now and later for eternity in heaven.

When you read the rest of the story of “Mephi” in the Bible you will see these principles and others.

We can either bemoan the hard-knocks of life or we can begin to sing another song from ANNIE entitled “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow.”  How we react to life is always a choice!