“Being grateful and appreciative of those who sacrifice for us.”
Greetings! 2 Samuel 19:1-8 (NIV version) reads “Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, “The king is grieving for his son.” The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle. The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!” Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the the LORD that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now.” So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway, ” they all came before him. Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes.”
Powerful scripture on why we should appreciate those that sacrifice for us! It is understood that though king David is grieving over the loss of his child, even in his hurt the perception is that he doesn’t care for those who sacrificed their lives to save him and his family. Thank goodness that his commander Joab had the wisdom to help David to see the error of his ways. We ourselves need people like Joab whether they be a trusted confidant or friend to show us our errors and to remind us to appreciate those who sacrifice to make ways for us. Perhaps we ourselves know what it is like to feel unappreciated in spite of how much we ourselves have sacrificed to help make it better for others (which is why we should never take anyone for granted)!
So with this lesson from the Bible here, we are reminded to show appreciation for those who sacrifice for us whether it be our parents, spouses, coworkers, bosses, a trusted friend, even perhaps a random stranger assigned to us etc. Let’s remember that we all want to be and feel appreciated for the things that we do…it’s human nature. Just know that if you feel like you do not get the appreciation and validation from people you can definitely get it from God/Jesus and remember you are enough for He created you with purpose!! So on that note God/Jesus appreciates you, I appreciate you, and so let’s together show others our appreciation of other’s! We can and will do this together!! Peace ✌️ ☮️ 🕊 and love ❤️!!