I’m not really into forwarding ‘forwards’ but occasionally a good one lands in my inbox that I just have to share. The following is the result of one of those ‘good’ ones.
Before going any further, though, I need to acknowledge one of the sources (found at the end), although the author seems to be a mystery. Nevertheless, I trust whoever the person is, he or she will be happy to see that their story has infiltrated cyberspace and has been shared—albeit somewhat modified for the sake of size but not altered in thought—on my web page.
I’ve chosen to share what I’ve gleaned from this story in the form of questions and found the task rather soul-searching. I’ll let you do your own introspection as you consider the questions, and remember, no one but you will know how you respond.
- Do I know what it means to be discontented?
- Do I struggle with the entanglements of wealth or power?
- Do I envy?
- Am I eager for a day of simple work?
- Do I worry that my needs will never be met?
- Are my hands always diligent; am I the most happy when I’m working?
- Do I shrink from a job when it’s just begun or leave a job before it’s finished?
- Do I know how to relax?
- Do I waste time on self-serving activities?
- Am I obsessed with my work or the work of others?
- Is my heart pure?
- Do I believe people tell the truth and that promises must be kept?
- When I am wrong, do I apologize instead of argue?
- Am I free from pride?
- Do I believe in God? Do I trust Him? Do I see Him as my closest companion?
- Do I pray after dark?
- Do I soak up the goodness and love of God?
- Do I realize that my fears and pride become disabilities when I don’t trust them to God’s care?
As I considered these questions, I couldn’t help thinking how fruitless my life is a times. How too often I succumb to the world’s distractions and demands that draw me further and further from the Source of all that is True and Good and Holy. I asked myself: If I believe and trust God and realize that “my fears and pride become disabilities when I don’t trust them to God’s care,” why do I struggle with a clutter-filled life? I asked that question tongue-in-cheek, of course, since I knew the answer… I make the wrong choices!
Before I close there’s one more thought to consider…
- Do I believe God lives under my bed?
Strange question, wouldn’t you agree? But for a 30 year-old young man who “reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old” it is a practical option. In describing the young man, his sibling says, “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….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’s story left me yearning more deeply than ever before for a life that is simple, pure, uncluttered and free from pride…a life lived “soaking up the goodness and love of God.”
Please enjoy the full version of Kevin’s story at: http://journalingwithjesus.com/god-lives-under-my-bed. In deed, the Kevins of this world have a lot to teach us if we’re willing to listen…and check under our beds!
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