Life lessons from Michal and other discarded people

My small group has been working through the book "Bad Girls of The Bible." It's been interesting and I really have enjoyed reading Liz Curtis Higgs and her thoughts on the different ladies of the Bible. Last night's was on Michal (Saul's daughter and David's first wife). It made me sad that she was traded around by the guys like property and yes she was not a nice person. What made me sad was how both Saul and David (a great man) treated her.

Her dad gave her to David and then when he escaped gave her to some other guy only to take her back and give her back to David when he asked for her several years later after getting a new wife. She was traded like property and I started thinking how often do we treat others like property. We get a new friend to hang out with and that's who we spend all our time with (like a new toy or purse or shoes) and then when they aren't useful anymore we toss them aside for the next best thing. Or we go into friendships seeking what we can get from them or what we want and not maybe looking at what they need or what God is expecting from us.

I am not saying Michal is excused from being a bad girl for being rude and snide to David for his dancing and worshiping God and having other idols but I wonder if either Saul or David would have just stopped and considered her feelings would the story have turned out better. Would the story be different if they or someone had invested in her- reached out to her and loved her.

I was thinking all of this when I visited an FFA chapter who's advisor reaches out to the students and accepts them as is- broken, messed up, not the most desirable and he tries to build them up and give them something more in their lives and equip them with knowledge, skill and confidence that they can do something with their lives even if no one else believes they can and has written them off. He's not successful with every kid he meets but he tries to give them the opportunities and that is what counts. No judgement just acceptance and opportunities. If we had more people like that in the world we would have a better world.

If I was more like that and had a heart for others, my world would be a better world.