GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED by Kelly Adkins
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
speculates 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 as 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 the Lord, 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 beliefs, 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!
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
bob@grif.net www.grif.net
“Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!”
