The Mephibosheth Complex

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I once heard a Christian leadership coach say that there is one solid difference between successful and unsuccessful people…they think differently.

If you see yourself as a victim well then brace yourself and prepare to suffer. If you envision your family barely getting by then you will never experience the abundant life that God has designed for you. You will never get that promotion you have longed for if all you see in the mirror is  a loser.

The words that have been spoken over your life in the past and in the present have the potential to leave an indelible imprint in your mind. It is somewhat of a mental tattoo that has been etched into the very depths of your frontal lobe. Some people are tattooed for life unless of course they are able to see themselves as God sees them and not how others do.

God sees you as His child, justified and redeemed, accepted, holy and righteous.

There is a story in 2 Samuel about a child named Mephibosheth. He was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of King Saul. At 5 years of age he lived an easy and carefree life. He lived inside the palace, while servants doted on him and satisfied his every whim. One day his grandfather and father set out to fight the Philistines but end up perishing on the battlefield.

In eastern dynasties, it was the custom that when a new king took over, the previous king’s family was completely annihilated so as to prevent any possible revolt. When word reached the palace that Saul and Jonathan were both dead, a scene of utter terror set in.

In a blink of an eye life would forever change for the young prince. As panic disseminated throughout the kingdom Mephibosheth’s nanny grabbed him and tried running while dodging the multitudes trying to find the nearest escape route. Stumbling she desperately tried to hold on to the young boy. Despite her effort she ends up taking a hard fall while the boy screamed in agonizing pain as his back was crushed.

Mephibosheth saw his life change in a fraction of a second, it went from paradisiacal bliss to fugitive status. To make matters worse, both of his legs were shattered in the fall and mobility was no longer an option for the fleeing prince.

The young child was taken to a place called Lo Debar which means “no pasture” or “desolate place”. Lo Debar was a forsaken land and no place for price. With his powerful grandfather dead and his father killed in battle, alone and now a paralytic, it seemed that he was surely destined to die.

For 20 years Mephibosheth lived and breathed desolation, it had become his new identity – a new mindset had been etched within him. Crippled, poor and looked down upon Mephibosheth was no longer able to see himself as the grandson of a powerful king. His environment, the words that were spoken over his life and the people he grew up with had warped his perception and self-image.

David, now king, had once told his friend Jonathan that he would always look out for his family thus decides to send out one of his servants to find out whether or not there were any survivors from the house of Saul. His desire was to bless anyone connected to Saul and Jonathan. Upon finding out about Jonathan’s son he asks his servant to bring him to the palace

Mephibosheth, now the father of Mica, was fearful to find out that the king wanted to see him. At this point he was probably thinking – after all these years of hiding I have been found and I will surely perish and my son will suffer as I did while growing up without a father.

When he arrived at the palace and was presented before King David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Expecting the worst he begged for his life: “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?” he cried (2 Samuel 9:8).

I can picture David smiling at him and asking his servants to help him to his feet. David’s only desire was to show mercy and kindness to Jonathan’s surviving family. He said “I will give return to you the properties that belonged to your grandfather and as of today and forever you shall eat at my table” and he did…

Many Christians these days have developed the Mephibosheth complex. It is a state of mind that handicaps our present and future by making us believe the lies that have influenced our lives whether through words, experiences or the environment we grew up in.

If we are not mindful of God’s Word we make Lo Debar our final destination and become stagnant as we contemplate our paralysis while feeling sorry for ourselves. We look at ourselves in the mirror and the lies we have been fed impede us from seeing the man or woman that God has fashioned us to be. We develop “a dead dog mentality” while setting ourselves up for failure.

-Our mindset can become our greatest detriment-

It is time to toss the crutches, stop looking at your paralysis (circumstances), rise up and take heed of God’s word. Recognize that you’re not a dead dog no matter how many times the enemy has tried to make you believe that lie…

You are a child of the most high God, holy priesthood (1 peter 2:9), fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps 139:14). You are the child of a King, the very one that owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps 50:10).

Rise up and position yourself to be blessed!

Shalom,

Milton