Showing Kindness Around the Table

I remember the first Thanksgiving meals we had after two of my brothers passed away. Their deaths were separated by several years, but the feelings were similar. There was sadness of course, but also a bit of awkwardness about whether or not we should even mention their names for fear of dampening spirits even more.

But there are other reasons chairs go unoccupied around the Thanksgiving table.

Will there be someone missing around your table this Thanksgiving? Not from death necessarily, but from a self-imposed exile.

Perhaps there has been a strained relationship and they are afraid to return to the table for fear of a confrontation. Or maybe you have a family member who has made a string of bad decisions. They may feel embarrassed to take their seat at the table and face the judge-y looks.

Whatever the reason someone is missing from the table, perhaps it is time to extend some kindness to them. King David set a beautiful example for us in 2 Samuel 9 with Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth.

With all the bad blood between David and Saul, it would have been understandable in human terms for David to hold a grudge against his family. After all, Saul chased David through the wilderness trying to kill him for years because of his jealousy of David being anointed as the next king.

In David’s later years, after the death of Saul and his son Jonathan (who was David’s friend and confidant), David found himself longing to show God’s kindness (not his own) to someone from Saul’s house. After asking around, he found Jonathan had a crippled son left behind named Mephibosheth.

Mephibosheth was living a self-imposed exiled life in fear that King David would come after him. So when he was called to King David’s house, he was shaking in his shoes. When he arrived at King David’s, Mephibosheth prostrated himself and called himself a servant.

This is where it gets good friends. David said these gracious words to him:

And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” 2 Sam. 9:7

Mephibosheth was expecting harsh treatment, maybe even death. Instead, he received grace, mercy, and restoration. He and his family even got reservations to eat at the King’s dinner table on a regular basis.

What a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us. He intentionally sought us out. He invited us to come “just as we are” and restored us with His kindness and gave us a place at His table.

We hear a whole lot about kindness these days. I love that David SHOWED God’s kindness to someone he intentionally sought out.

It is the beginning of November. At this very moment, on my mantle, I have three little white pumpkins that say “grateful, thankful, blessed”. Why not extend those sentiments to someone who hasn’t shown up at your Thanksgiving table for a while?

Seek out someone to show God’s kindness to this season. It may be the very thing that brings them back to the King’s table.