GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

The following is a message that my friend, Charles, forwarded to me in an e-mail. I deem this story worth sharing to the followers of this blog.

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!

When you read this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do. There is nothing attached. This is powerful.

FRIENDS ARE ANGELS WHO LIFT US TO OUR FEET WHEN OUR WINGS HAVE TROUBLE REMEMBERING HOW TO FLY.

- no Angel -

Fireproof

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD
‘plans for welfare and not for calamity
to give you a future and a hope.
'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me,
and I will listen to you.
'You will seek Me and find Me
when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13

I am not a big movie fan so when Bong invited me to watch a rented movie with him, I was not at all enthusiastic, especially with the title "Fireproof". 'Nah, I don't want to watch some show that will just upset me', I told him. But due to his insistence, I did watch and I do not regret it.

The movie was not at all about fires and the misery that go with them. It was about a married couple who were on the verge of a divorce. Through the husband's caring father and the lessons that he taught him, at the end all went well... but it almost did not. The father's 40-day guide for him included a day devoted to prayer which he skipped at first because he thought that was not relevant. But when the realization of God's love was upon him, he started to believe and pray... and everything else fell into place.

God comes to us when we truly SEEK Him.

- no Angel -

Cha Ching $$$

But when the fullness of the time came,
God sent forth His Son,
born of a woman, born under the Law,
so that He might redeem those who were under the Law,
that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Because you are sons,
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying,
"Abba! Father!"
Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son;
and if a son, then an heir through God.

Galatians 4:4-7

My mind was somewhere else. I was now next in line at the check-out counter. The grocery was not that busy, I did not have to wait long. The cashier, I thought, was a very pretty girl, and taking care of the purchases of this older man in front of me, they were engaged in a pretty heated argument. I easily caught up with what they were talking about. The old man, feeling a responsibility of educating the young, was saying how we should be thankful to God for all the blessings that we receive from Him everyday. The girl was angry. My chin dropped when her mouth opened, "I don't believe in God!"... suddenly, I cannot find the beauty that I just saw a while ago. The poor old man, hurt and furious, picked up his bags. But before he left, he managed to calmly tell the girl, "I was soldier. I went to war and I met many other soldiers. Some of them were like you... they did not believe. But in the end, hurt and dying, they call on God. And guess what?... I believe that God took them back."

We are entitled to the kingdom... we are His HEIRS.

- no Angel -

Foolishness

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived,
enslaved to various lusts and pleasures,
spending our life in malice and envy,
hateful, hating one another.
But when the kindness of God our Savior
and His love for mankind appeared,
He saved us,
not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness,
but according to His mercy,
by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that being justified by His grace
we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:3-7

My daughter left a little book on the dining table entitled "Heidegger". She borrowed it from the Riverview library for one of her classes... maybe Philosophy. She reads a lot of books. some of them I also read. Seeing the book, I was curious. The first chapter read "An Ontology of Ourselves"... wooohh... big word. Then there's hermeneutic... this book is really too much for a little mind like mine. Well, that did not prevent me from googling such big words. On Christian biblical hermeneutics, Wikipedia states 'it has become increasingly common, at least in academia, to read Scripture just like any other writing, though precisely what that means is not without dispute.' My issue is: What is there to dispute about the Scripture? Faith is all we need... and lo and behold, Scripture becomes like a movie... there are things you don't get and there are things you do... and at the end, there is the 'aha!' moment.

The "Ten Commandments" being displayed in government property, especially in the courthouse... now, that is the dispute... the simple truth versus the arrogance of man. The commandments, as they are in the scriptures do not need scholars in order to be understood. And no matter how one says he can be good without having to believe that there is a God, comes back to the same question: What is the basis of good and not good?... and then it goes back to the same answer: God.

Even in all our foolishness, God, in His loving mercy, sent Jesus so that we can BE SAVED.

- no Angel -

What It Means To Be A Christian

Therefore if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creature;
the old things passed away;
behold, new things have come.
2 Corinthians 5:17

"20 Things You Did Not Know About Fat" is the last article in the Discovery magazine that I was reading.
Fact#11 - "The total number of fat cells in your body remains constant once you reach adulthood. Even after radical weight-loss procedures... " and then they come back.
Fact#12 - "... Liposuction is the only way to actually reduce the number of fat cells... Diet and exercise just shrink them."

I ADMIRE a beautiful lean body... flat belly, sculptured chin, firm arms, legs not logs... and the health benefits that go with it. And then... Boom! That was quite a revelation. From a distance, I will just have to watch these ladies in skimpy bikinis. The doctor said, "10 more pounds to lose and maybe you'll get off your diabetes pills". Have I just accepted defeat? Is it useless to FOLLOW my dream to get that beautiful lean body now?

What has 'fat' got to do with the subject matter? Forget the 'fat'. Pay attention to the words in caps: ADMIRE and FOLLOW.
To admire is to regard with pleasure, wonder, and approval. If one has a high opinion of someone, he/she is said to be an admirer of that someone.
To follow someone is to accept that someone as a guide or leader. To be a follower, one has to accept the the leader's authority and be faithful to him/her.

Jesus Christ was made flesh to be among us. He was admired by kings and scholars. He was followed by fishermen. Should we just sit up on our throne and wow Him from afar?... or Are we willing to drop our nets and walk behind Him? We are all invited. The choice is ours. Admirer...or Follower.

Let us take up our cross and FOLLOW Him!

- no Angel -

Drama!

for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
For the scripture says,
"No one who believes in Him will be put to shame."
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon Him.
Foe "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved".
- Romans 10:9-13 -

Life is full drama!

Dennis was my college boyfriend. If we were going on a date, he would pick me up at my house or at my Dad's shop downtown. But this one time, I was expecting him at home but he was expecting me to be at the shop. I was waiting and angry. He was waiting and angry. That was the last day of our relationship. Nobody was willing to accept who broke the promise.

Adam broke his promise to God by eating the forbidden fruit and was banished from Paradise, and so was all of mankind. Our relationship with God was smeared. But then, Jesus came. God handed over His only Son for us. The sinless took all the punishment for all our broken promises to God. Every time we sin, we break God's heart... we become unworthy of His love. Yet, He gave us Jesus in exchange for our worthlessness. The Lamb was slaughtered for our nothingness. Jesus is God's gift to us and who refuses a gift? Certainly, not me. How about you?

My Jesus will save me... iCONFESS.

- no Angel -