By Carolina Henriquez
Like many dogs who are put in shelters after their owners can no longer take care of them, there is sense of hopeless that shines through their eyes. You look at commercials, newsletters, or even on websites to see if there are any new postings. Maybe you aren’t in the right financial place to adopt a fur baby, but you pray and hope that someone soon finds compassion to adopt them.
Much like the story between King David and Jonathan in 2 Samuel 9, we see compassion and kindness in this story. We hear the words, “what is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”, and we relate to how a dog from a shelter may feel when being picked by their new humans. Why would someone ever take notice of me when I don’t belong anymore? I’ve been beat up and tossed around, even thrown away because I wasn’t good enough, so how can anyone see value in me?
Many of us have gone through those moments where God has lifted us from an undesirable situation and although we were saved, we were left with scars and wounds. Some may even believe they deserved that situation and so, how could anyone love someone who’s broken and wounded?
Which is why, like a new human picking their shelter dog and believing they are the best dog they have ever had, God views us the exact same way. Just like in verse 9 where King David states, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family”, very much resonates with what God does for our lives when we are lifted from that bad situation. Instead of abandoning and treating us with unkindness, God gives us even more than what we believe we deserve. And with this gift, God shows us that even with our wounds and scars, we deserve to “always eat at His table”.
Just like a new adopted dog; we honor them with love, loyalty, and care, and so although someone else may have viewed them or ourselves as “a dead dog”, God never sees us that way and never will because we were made in His perfect image and deserve the upmost best.