Good morning to echurch members,
I hope you find the forwarded message as inspirational as I did when I read 
it.

Virgie and Lady Hoshi
----- Original Message ----- 
From: " Jo Wilson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Jo Anne Grubbs" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2007 4:13 PM
Subject: Inspirational--God Lives Under The Bed


> God Lives Under The Bed
>
> Author Unknown
>
>  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 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, 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 of 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, 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. 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!
>
>