Our King Complex

When King David was old and well advanced in years? Adonijah? put himself forward and said, "I will be king." I Kings 1.

David was a great King who had ruled Israel with an iron hand for 40 years. But, time had caught up with him. Things the old king use to do, he could not do anymore. And so, the hell hounds came out of the cracks and crevices.

This is an interesting story about David because he had grown old and in his old age he had lost his usefulness as interpreted by others. King David had lost his sexual desire; he had lost his virility, lost his stature, lost his position as being "manly." So his son, Adonijah said, "I'll be king." Daddy isn't what he use to be; he's old, he's senile, he's done with, I'll take over and I'll rule."

Well, when we contemplate our society and nation today, all indications seem to suggest that our usefulness is predicated entirely on our ability to perform. What a sad commentary. It seems as though we have a sort of built in self-destruct mechanism because we in America have made a god out of youth. We have men and women struggling to avoid growing old. Cosmetic surgery has escalated to an almost insane number. We resort to all kinds of strategies: liposuction, implants, diet aids, make-up, anti-aging creams, hair clubs and anything else that promises to keep us young. We want to maintain our youthfulness and vitality.

As a consequence, we have old women running around with young men and old men with young women. Many of us are frantically lost, caught up in the whirlwind of trying to stay young. This is the kind of society we live in. We have made so much ado about age that we have become more and more fearful of the aging process.

Well, when we get there, and if we live we will, the day will come when we will find ourselves in David's shoes. If we hang around, don't go anywhere, stay on the scene of life, we will grow old. We will not be able to perform the way we use to. So the question is, will we too be rejected, cast aside, ignored like most of our seniors today? The day is coming when we will be sitting where David and millions of others have sat. What will be our plight when we too come to the last miles of the way?

Father Time had caught up with David and his son was anxious to get him on out of the way. Isn't it sad how some people will take advantage of the elderly? When you can no longer speak for yourself, think as fast, see as clearly or hear as keenly as you use to, folks will take advantage of your weaknesses.

But before judging too harshly, we must understand that all of us suffer with a king complex. There is a gravitational force from the winds of the world to push the old aside and to become king ourselves. When we see others stumbling, and fumbling and forgetful, the king complex kicks in and we want to push them aside; get somebody who can do it better. We forget, or suppress or deny, that where they are is where we are heading. What we do to them today, others will do to us tomorrow.

Be patient with our seniors. They may not be able to walk, talk see, or hear like they use to, but give them a chance.

Your day is coming!

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available soon.

You are welcome to visit amen ministries: your soul's service station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification, browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall or review our recommended books you may want to add to your personal library.

Blessings to all!

licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..

In The News:

Chrome extension spyware disguised as a free VPN service highlights security risks after it captured private browsing data from trusted sites.

New research shows how fatty acids in cooking oil can safely dissolve and recover silver from circuit boards without harmful chemicals or environmental damage.

The Fox News AI newsletter gives you information on the latest AI technology advancements, and about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Anthropic investigates alarming AI abuse case where hacker automated entire cybercrime campaign using Claude, stealing sensitive data from defense and healthcare firms.

TikTok, Meta and YouTube restrict Charlie Kirk shooting videos with age gates and warnings while X faces criticism for allowing continued circulation.

Cybercriminals use fake troubleshooting websites to trick Mac users into running terminal commands that install Shamos malware through ClickFix tactics.

San Francisco startup Fable launches Showrunner, an AI platform dubbed the 'Netflix of AI' that generates animated episodes from text descriptions with Amazon support.

Apple raised iPhone prices for some models despite receiving tariff relief from President Donald Trump, with the new lineup starting at $799 for the base model.

A two-story 3D concrete printed home in Western Australia demonstrates faster construction methods that could reshape American housing amid rising costs.

Credit scores remain important during retirement for insurance rates and housing applications, while seniors become prime targets for identity theft and financial scams.

Scammers now send unexpected packages with QR codes that redirect victims to fraudulent websites or download malicious software to steal sensitive information.

Meeting AI tools record private conversations alongside work discussions, creating privacy risks that can be managed with proper settings and awareness.

Hotel privacy concerns are valid but rare, with methods to detect hidden tech using smartphone flashlights, mirror tests and scanning apps.

Improve your Wi-Fi speed and reliability with 10 simple router optimization tips that don't require special apps or expensive subscriptions.

A Columbia University breach exposed names, Social Security numbers and academic records of nearly 869,000 people, with notifications beginning in August.

Rental car drivers use AI-powered apps like Proofr to protect themselves from unfair damage fees as major companies deploy automated inspection tools.

Fox News' AI newsletter brings you the latest on technology advancements around artificial intelligence.

OnTrac data breach between April 13-15, 2025, exposed personal information of over 40,000 people including Social Security numbers and medical records.

A woman named Wika announces her engagement to an AI chatbot sparking worldwide debate about virtual relationships and technology.

The notorious people search site National Public Data relaunches despite a previous breach affecting 3 billion individuals, raising fresh privacy concerns.

Revolutionary TRAUMAGEL gel controls life-threatening bleeding from gunshot wounds and traumatic injuries, helping first responders prevent prehospital deaths.

Protect your home network by enabling proper encryption, creating strong passwords, checking connected devices and using VPN and antivirus software.

The Navy's solar-powered Skydweller drone flew nonstop for 73 hours in Mississippi, proving renewable energy can power long-endurance military missions.

Moving and downsizing expose seniors to identity theft and scams as data brokers collect real estate records and personal information to sell to criminals.

ShengShu's Vidar technology revolutionizes humanoid robot training by using AI-generated synthetic video, reducing required training data from hours to just 20 minutes.

Our King Complex

Spirituality