God's Under The Bed!
>
>
>
>
> My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his
> bed. At least that's
> what I heard him say one night. He was praying out
> loud in his dark bedroom,
>
> and I stopped outside his closed door to listen.
>
> "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are
> you? Oh, I see, you're
> under the bed."
> I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own
> room.
> Kevin's unique perspectives are often a
> source of amusement. But
> that night something else lingered long after the
> humor.
>
> I realized for the first time the very
> different world Kevin lives
> in. He was born 30 years ago,
> mentally disabled as a result of
> difficulties during labor. Apart
> from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in
> which he is an adult.
> He reasons and communicates with the
> capabilities of a 7-year-old,
> and he always will.
> He will probably always believe that
> God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus
> is the one who fills the
> space under our tree every Christmas, and that
> airplanes stay up in the sky
> because angels carry them.
>
> I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he
> is different. Is he
> ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up
> before dawn each day, off to
> work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk
> our cocker spaniel,
> returning to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese
> for dinner, and later to
> bed.
>
> The only variation in the entire scheme are
> laundry days, when he hovers excitedly over
> the washing machine
> like a mother with her newborn child. He does not
> seem dissatisfied.
> He lopes out to the bus every morning at
> 7:05,
> eager for a day of simple work. He wrings
> his hands excitedly while
>
> the water boils
> on the stove before dinner, and he stays up
> late twice a week to
> gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry
> chores.
>
>
>
> And Saturdays - ohh, the bliss of
> Saturdays!
> That's the day my dad takes Kevin to the
> airport
> to have a soft drink, watch the planes
> land,
> and speculate loudly on the destination of
> each
> passenger inside. "That one's goin' to
> Chi-car- go!" Kevin shouts
> as he claps his hands.
> His anticipation is so great he can hardly
> sleep on Friday nights.
> I don't think Kevin knows anything exists outside
> his world of daily rituals
>
> and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it
> means to be discontent. His
>
> life is simple.
>
> He will never know the entanglements of
> wealth
> or power, and he does not care what brand
> of clothing he wears or
> what kind of food he eats.
> He recognizes no differences in people,
> treating each person as an
> equal and a friend. His needs have always been met,
> and he never worries
> that one day they may not be. His hands are
> diligent. Kevin is
> never so happy as when he is working. When he
> unloads the dishwasher or
> vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.
> He does not shrink from a
>
> job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job
> until it is finished. But
> when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.
> He is not obsessed with
> his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.
> He still believes everyone tells the truth,
> promises must be kept, and when you are
> wrong, you apologize
> instead of argue.
>
>
>
> Free from pride and unconcerned with
> appearances, Kevin is not
> afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is
> always transparent,
> always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by
> intellectual reasoning,
> when he comes
> to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems
> to know God....to
> really be friends with Him
> in a way that is difficult for an
> "educated" person to grasp. God
> seems like his closest companion. In my moments of
> doubt and frustrations
> with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has
> in his simple faith. It
> is then that I am most willing to admit that he has
> some divine knowledge
> that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I
> realize that perhaps he
> is
> not the one with the handicap - Perhaps - I
> am.
>
> My obligations, my fear, my pride, my
> circumstances - they all
> become disabilities when I do not submit them to
> Christ. Who knows if Kevin
>
> comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he
> has spent his whole life
>
> in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and
> soaking up the goodness
> and love of the Lord.
>
> And one day, when the mysteries of heaven
> are opened, and we are
> all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts,
> I'll realize that God
> heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that
> God lived under his bed.
>
> Kevin won't be surprised at all.

I am striving to be more like Kevin!

Praise God!
>

~Tanya~
~Amazed By His Grace~

Tanya,

Thanks for sharing!

Be blessed!

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. Romans 1:11-12

John Trevino

That is beautiful! Thanks.

Thanks for sharing, Tanya. I have a handicapped brother that is 43 with the mind of an 8 year old. I often wonder the same things as you. Its so amazing how they are so close to God.

God Bless you
TerriJ