Life Lessons From A Bathroom Stall


Once I was waiting at the baggage carousel at Lagardia Airport when people began clapping, pointing, and calling out. I looked around to see what was going on, and spotted President Bill Clinton walking through the terminal...right into the Men's room. (After it had been cleared by Secret Service). I turned to the man next to me and profoundly said, "when you gotta go, you gotta go."

King Saul was in pursuit of David when he had to go. There were no public restrooms nearby so he chose a cave so he would have a little privacy. Little did he know that his chosen stall was already occupied by none other than David himself.

“A cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.” I Samuel 24:3

This was David's chance to strike Saul when he least expected it. In fact, that’s what David’s men encouraged him to do. “Go for it, David. This is your chance. God set this up for you.” These were the types of things David was hearing as he hid back in the cave. He didn’t comply. Instead he would sneak up and cut a little corner off of his garment to show that he meant Saul no harm. Even when David's own men edged him on he resisted the opportunity to harm his enemy.

It's a fun story, but doing good to those who oppose us can be rather challenging in every day life. A coworker who seems bent on pulling us down, a classmate who slanders us, a neighbor who is difficult to get along with, or any other scenario where we find ourselves with an "enemy," is never easy. Yet, Jesus taught us love our enemies, David exemplifies this for us, and the Bible teaches us that while we were still God's enemies Christ died for us. 

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:44

“For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” Romans 5:10

Loving your enemy won't always be easy, but it is the right thing to do and God is glorified through it.

I don't know what the walls of Bill Clinton's stall had written on them at the airport. Some pretty profane things make it onto the walls of men's rooms. But I do know that a valuable lesson was learned in a stall in the desert one day. I want to follow David's example, and encourage you to as well. Not the sneaking up behind people in the bathroom, and cutting pieces off of their clothing. Please don’t do that. We can, however, copy the example of doing good to who opposes you. The same God who looked out for David will take care of us as well.

Following the Son,

James A Williams

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