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I think this is perhaps one of the BEST email 'forward' I have ever
read. I hope you will enjoy it half as much as I have!!
Don't start reading this one until you've got more than a minute to
just 'scan' over it. It deserves some time for reflection.
GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED
I envy Kevin. 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,
'Are you there, God?', he said.
'Where are you?
Oh, I see. 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 s pace 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, return to eat his favorite
macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.
The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, 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 –
Oh, 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.
And so goes 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.
His needs have always been met.
He never worries that one day they may not be.
His hands are diligent. Kevin is never happier than 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.
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 God, 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 is his
closest companion.
In my moments of doubt and frustrations,
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 pe rhaps he is not
the one with the handicap. I am.
My obligations, my fear, my pride,
my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to
God's care.
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 God.
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!
When you receive this, say a prayer.
That's all you have to do.
There is nothing attached.
This is powerful.
Just send this to other people, please. Prayer is one of the
best free gifts we receive.
There is no cost, but a lot of
rewards.
FRIENDS ARE ANGELS WHO LIFT US
TO OUR FEET WHEN OUR WINGS HAVE TROUBLE REMEMBERING HOW TO FLY
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