Word Prompt – KING – Bari Mitzmann

For most of my life, the word king brought up one thing: obey or else.

Authority meant threat. Deviation meant punishment. I built my entire relationship with G-d around that, terrified of stepping out of line, convinced that every hardship was a direct consequence of something I did wrong. The King was watching, the ledger was running, and I was perpetually behind.

What I didn't see, what I couldn't see, was that I was only looking at one side of the relationship. I was so focused on what I owed the King that I never stopped to consider what the King owed me.

Because a good king doesn't just collect loyalty. A good king fights for his people. Protects them. Sees them. Is responsible for their well-being in a way that goes far beyond what any subject could earn or demand. A king who only takes isn't a king worth serving. He's just someone with power.

Slowly, something is shifting. I'm learning that the King of Kings isn't running a ledger on me. He's running toward me. That his love for his subjects isn't something I could wrap my mind around even if I tried.

I spent so long focused on what I could do for Him that I forgot to let Him do anything for me.

I'm working on that. On loosening my grip. On letting myself be a subject who is loved, not just one who performs.

Avinu Malkeinu. My Father, my King. Thank you for always looking out for me.