Don't start reading this story until you have more than 3 or 4 minutes to just think about it. It deserves some time for reflection.
God Lives Under The Bed
I envy Kevin who is 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 to listen to him. He said, "Are you there, God? Where are you? Oh, I see, you are under my bed..."
I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement in our house. But that night something else lingered long after the humor about him faded. I finally realized for the first time the very different world that Kevin lives in.
He was born 30 years ago. He is mentally disabled, as a result of the difficulties my mother had during labor. Apart from his size, (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.
However, 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. I also have wondered in the past if he was ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?
He gets up before dawn each day, and he is off to work at a workshop for the disabled. When he comes home he walks our cocker spaniel, and then returns to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese dinner, before he later goes to bed.
The only variation in his daily routine is when he is doing the laundry. Then he will hover excitedly over the washing machine, like a mother with her newborn child.
Kevin does not seem to be dissatisfied with his life in any way. He rushes out of the bus every morning at 7:05, and he is eager for a day of simple and hard work.
I have watched him wringing his hands excitedly while the water is boiling on the stove before dinner. I know he likes to stay up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.
And on Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink. That is the day my Dad and Kevin watch the planes go by and land. That’s the day my Dad and Kevin speculate loudly on the different destinations of the passengers inside the planes. Kevin says, "That one's going to Chi-car-go", as he shouts and he claps his hands.
His anticipation is so great that he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.
And so goes his world of daily rituals, activities, and weekend field trips with my Dad.
He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.
Instead his life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth and power. He does not care about what brand of clothing he is wearing, or what kind of food he is eating. Since his needs have always been met, he never worries that one day they may not be there.
Kevin’s hands are always diligent and busy. He is always happy when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher, or he vacuums the carpet in our house, his heart is always completely in it.
He does not shrink from any job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is completely finished. However, when his tasks are over for the day, Kevin knows how to relax.
He is not obsessed with his work, or the work of others. Instead his heart is pure.
He still believes everyone is telling him the truth. He also believes that all promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you must apologize, instead of arguing with others.
Kevin is free from pride and unconcerned with other people’s appearances. He is not afraid to cry out when he is hurt, angry, or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere, and he always trusts and believes in God.
Because he is not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes to him as a little child. I know Kevin seems to know God in a special way and to really be friends with Him. He knows God in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.
In my moments of doubt, trust, and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security that Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am willing to admit that He has some divine knowledge and wisdom that I don't have. He has a pure heart and a heavenly knowledge that is above My mortal flesh.
It is then that I realize that perhaps Kevin is not the one with the handicap, I am the one who is handicapped. Then I realize my obligations, my fear, my pride, my prejudices, my circumstances - they are all the different disabilities that I carry inside me. I have them because I do not give them into God's infinite and loving care. I do not trust God to always take care of them for me.
Who knows if Kevin can comprehend the heavenly things that I have not been able to learn? After all, he has spent his entire lifetime on this earth in a simple form of complete innocence. He prays after dark everyday to God and I have seen him soaking up God’s infinite goodness and love.
Therefore, one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, I believe we will all be amazed at how close God really is to each of us here on this earth. Then I’ll realize that God was always listening to the simple prayers of a boy named Kevin, who believed that God lived under his bed.
However, I don't believe Kevin will be surprised at all.
When you are able to receive these things in your heart, say a prayer to God through His only Son, Jesus. That's all you will have to do.
Prayer is one of the best free gifts we can give to God and His Son. There is no cost, but there are a lot of rewards that we can receive from our Lord and Savior. Friends Are Angels Who Lift Us To Our Feet When Our Wings Have Trouble. They Help Us To Remember How To Love One Another And To Fly Softly Into The Wind.
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