“God is Under the Bed”

Kelly Adkins tells the story of her brother, Kevin, whose world is much smaller than ours, and yet, in some ways, so much bigger.  Kevin believes God lives under his bed.  He comes as a child to God, without questioning, but simply, believing.   God is as real to him as his bed is, as real to him as the others in his life who watch over him, six-foot-two, and still, a child, limited mentally, captured by his very ordinary, very repetitious, everyday world.  Excitement comes quicker than dissatisfaction; trust has never been displaced by worry; diligence at simple tasks balances with relaxation; superiority, pride, and self-centeredness have no place in his world of acceptance, equality, and openness.   Always transparent, always sincere.  And, as Kelly says, “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,” and yet, “Kevin won’t be surprised at all.”

Our Sunday School lesson was about Rachel, the beautiful woman Jacob fell in love with, the  woman Jacob chose.   Physically attractive with facial features accenting her beauty, her older sister, Leah, literally paled in comparison.  Rachel was given in marriage to Jacob, but it was Leah though who first became Jacob’s wife through her father’s manipulation and it was Leah for whom childbearing came very easily while Rachel struggled through years of infertility.   And the beauty Rachel presented outwardly was tarnished by the jealousy and bitterness of her inner person – jealousy and bitterness that could erupt into demandingness, accusations, and her own manipulation; jealousy and bitterness that left God out.   In class, we talked about the difference between responding to life and reacting to life.  “Reacting” comes very naturally.  “Responding” requires a choosing that is dependent on God’s grace.   Rachel fought against life, her circumstances, and God. 

Life is not always easy.  It doesn’t always meet our expectations, and it very often doesn’t seem fair.   We can easily compare our lives with others.  We can easily react to the circumstances we find ourselves in.   Loss has many faces, and so too does inadequacy.  The hardships and difficulties of life transcend the differences in our lives whether economic, social, physical or intellectual.  Hurt and disappointment are universal, but we still have choice.  We can choose to respond or we can choose to react.   Kevin’s world is limited in many ways, but with the faith and simplicity of a child, he chooses daily to respond to his world, and in doing so, his world is enlarged.  His choices embrace God with trust, satisfaction, and an unquestioning faith.  His world is softened too by his choices, and his life vividly portrays a reality that embracing God as we embrace life allows us to find a depth of faith few will realize this side of Heaven.

– Bev       

(Related Bible reading: Psalm 34:1-22)