Does God Live Under YOUR Bed?
(Revised, by Sally Cleghorn, Royal Oak, MI)
"Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it" (Luke 18:17).
My brother Kevin believes that God lives under his bed. At least that's what I overheard one night as he was praying aloud in his bedroom. "Are you there, God?” he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed." I giggled softly and tiptoed to my room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement, but that night I realized just how different his world is.
He was born 60 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons with the capabilities of a 7-year- old, and always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, and that airplanes stay up because angels carry them.
Is Kevin ever dissatisfied? He is up before dawn each day, off to work at a shop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, returning to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and then to bed. The only variation is laundry days, when he hovers over the washing machine like a mother with her child. He never seems dissatisfied.
Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His hands are diligent -- when he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He recognizes no differences in people, treating each as an equal. He believes that everyone tells the truth, and when you are wrong, you admit it. And when he prays, he comes before God as a child. God is his closest friend.
In my moments of doubt, I envy the serenity Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap -- I am. My fears, worries and foolish pride all become disabilities when fail to give them up to Christ.
Perhaps Kevin comprehends things I will never learn in this life. He has spent decades praying after dark, believing that any strange noise is God moving about. In times of stress, I sometimes wonder if God hears me. But I will never doubt that God hears every word of a boy who genuinely believes that God lives under his bed.
Live for the Lord in 2024
Dennis
(Revised, by Sally Cleghorn, Royal Oak, MI)
"Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it" (Luke 18:17).
My brother Kevin believes that God lives under his bed. At least that's what I overheard one night as he was praying aloud in his bedroom. "Are you there, God?” he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed." I giggled softly and tiptoed to my room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement, but that night I realized just how different his world is.
He was born 60 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons with the capabilities of a 7-year- old, and always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, and that airplanes stay up because angels carry them.
Is Kevin ever dissatisfied? He is up before dawn each day, off to work at a shop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, returning to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and then to bed. The only variation is laundry days, when he hovers over the washing machine like a mother with her child. He never seems dissatisfied.
Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His hands are diligent -- when he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He recognizes no differences in people, treating each as an equal. He believes that everyone tells the truth, and when you are wrong, you admit it. And when he prays, he comes before God as a child. God is his closest friend.
In my moments of doubt, I envy the serenity Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap -- I am. My fears, worries and foolish pride all become disabilities when fail to give them up to Christ.
Perhaps Kevin comprehends things I will never learn in this life. He has spent decades praying after dark, believing that any strange noise is God moving about. In times of stress, I sometimes wonder if God hears me. But I will never doubt that God hears every word of a boy who genuinely believes that God lives under his bed.
Live for the Lord in 2024
Dennis
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