From the Inside Out

A wonderful composition by Hillsong...

God lives under the bed

Don't miss this post...

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 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.

(By Rami)

What if?

What if,

God couldn't take the time to bless us today because

we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?

What if,

God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because

we didn't follow Him today?

What if,

we never saw another flower bloom because

we grumbled when God sent the rain?

What if,

God didn't walk with us today because

we failed to recognize it as His day?

What if,

God took away the Bible tomorrow because

we would not read it today?

What if,

God took away His message because

we failed to listen to the messenger?

What if,

God didn't send His only begotten Son because

He wanted us to pay the price for sin?

What if,

the door of the church was closed because

we did not open the door of our heart?

What if,

God stopped loving and caring for us because

we failed to love and care for others?

What if,

God would not hear us today because

we would not listen to Him yesterday?

What if,

God answered our prayers the way

we answer His call to service?

What if,

God met our needs the way

we give Him our lives?

Have a Spirit-led day!

I asked God

I asked God to take away my pain.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
Her spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said... Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

Blessed

If the Lord has blessed you with good health, I hope you spend some time giving thanks today. It would be the appropriate thing to do.

On the other hand if you, or someone you love, has been battling sickness, this story may be just the ticket. Most of us remember the writings of Robert Louis Stevenson. What most people may not know is that Stevenson was bedridden for much of his life with tuberculosis.

One day his wife heard him hacking and coughing away. Wishing to test the resilience of his spirit, she asked, "And my dear, do you still believe this is a wonderful day?"

Stevenson looked at the pile of medicine bottles sitting on the windowsill in front of his sun-filled bedroom window. After a moment he replied, "I do. I will never let a row of medicine bottles block my horizon!"

I like that answer.

Following the example of the apostle Paul, Stevenson had learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself.

That's not a bad idea for all of God's people. Think for a moment. Has a row of medicine bottles been blocking your view of God's blessings and bounty? Is it possible financial reverses have been blocking the joy which comes in Jesus?

Most certainly there are things in life that can do their best to throw a shadow between God and His people.

When that happens, we need to lift up our eyes and look past the medicine bottles, the boss, the whatever. God is still there. We need to see the face of the Savior, His nail-scarred hands, and His spear-pierced side.

We need to see the risen Redeemer reaching out to us and lifting us up so we may see past the medicine bottles and gaze upon the great grace and love of God.

I Thought I Knew

I did not know His love before,
the way I know it now.
I could not see my need for Him,
my pride would not allow.
I had it all, without a care,
the "Self-sufficient" lie.
My path was smooth, my sea was still,
not a cloud was in my sky.

I thought I knew His love for me,
I thought I'd seen His grace,
I thought I did not need to grow,
I thought I'd found my place.
But then the way grew rough and dark,
the storm clouds quickly rolled;
The waves began to rock my ship,
my anchor would not hold.

The ship that I had built myself
was made of foolish pride.
It fell apart and left me bare,
with nowhere else to hide.
I had no strength or faith to face
the trials that lay ahead,
And so I simply prayed to Him
and bowed my weary head.

His loving arms enveloped me,
and then He helped me stand.
He said, "You still must face this storm,
but I will hold your hand."
So through the dark and lonely night
He guided me through pain.
I could not see the light of day
or when the storm might wane.

Yet through the aches and endless tears,
my faith began to grow.
I could not see it at the time,
but my light began to glow.
I saw God's love in brand new light,
His grace and mercy, too.
For only when all self was gone
could Jesus'' love shine through.

It was not easy in the storm,
I sometimes wondered, "Why?"
At times I thought, "I can't go on."
I'd hurt, and doubt, and cry.
But Jesus never left my side,
He guided me each day.
Through pain and strife,
through fire and flood,
He helped me all the way.

And now I see as never before
how great His love can be.
How in my weakness He is strong,
how Jesus cares for me!
He worked it all out for my good,
although the way was rough.
He only sent what I could bear,
and then He cried, "Enough!"

He raised His hand and said, "Be still!"
He made the storm clouds cease.
He opened up the gates of joy
and flooded me with peace.
I saw His face now clearer still,
I felt His presence strong,
I found anew His faithfulness,
He never did me wrong.

Now I know more storms will come,
but only for my good,
For pain and tears have helped me grow
as naught else ever could.
I still have so much more to learn
as Jesus works in me;
If in the storm I'll love Him more,
that's where I want to be!

Look up to Him

While a lady was visiting her neighbor, she allowed her six-year-old son to go out and play in the yard. After a while, she went out to see what the child was doing. Nearby, was a painter on a high scaffold. To her dismay, the lady observed that her son had gone up to the last rung of the ladder.

"Arthur, get down!" the nervous woman yelled, alarming the child who began to look down full of fear. The painter immediately realized the danger the child was in and very calmly spoke to the mother saying, "Your boy is all right. I will take care of him." Then he told the child, "Look up and climb to where I am."

With a smile, and watching the man's eyes, the boy arrived safely to where the man was waiting. He took the boy in his arms and carefully started to climb down, finally handing him over to his mother.

How often do we look down when we face dangers and conflicts, rather than focusing on Jesus and trusting our lives to His care and guidance? When we are threatened by dangers and conflicts, we cling to our own strengths instead of looking to Him. We often forget to let Him guide us with His love through the difficulties of this life.

When it is your turn to face difficult tests, and you think you are sinking in misfortune, stop looking down and look up to Jesus with confidence. Remember the psalmist's words: "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will do this."

Always remember, dear friend, that in the midst of adversity, the promises of our beloved Father are greater than the conflicts we experience in life.

A Stranger

The stranger entered the church and took a seat near the front of the church. At first, people only noticed that his clothes did not measure up to those of the rest of the congregation, but then finally someone began to count and realized that he had chosen Mrs. Oddbody's pew.

No one had sat in Mrs. Oddbody's pew in years. No one except Mrs. Oddbody, of course. No one else dared. Neighbors whispered to one another, daring to speculate about what Mrs. Oddbody would do when she made her grand entrance.

They would not have long to wait for soon Mrs. Oddbody arrived at the back of the church and began her trek down the aisle without a clue as to what awaited her. As she neared the front of the church, she began to count as she always did. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. When she got to eight, she saw someone sitting there, so she began to count again only to come up with the same conclusion.

She inched forward to where the stranger could see her, hoping he would understand and beat a hasty retreat. The stranger looked at her and smiled, but she did not return his smile.

When it was obvious he had found his final resting place, as far as this service was concerned; she let out an indignant “Excuse me” and pushed past him into the pew.

As the service began, the stranger could not help but notice she was more concerned with him occupying part of her pew than she was getting anything from the service.

They came to a point in the service where the pastor invited everyone to come to the altar and pray. The stranger arose and went forward. There was no need for him to hurry, because this did not seem to be a part of anyone else's exercise program that morning.

He fell to his knees and began in earnest prayer. He prayed for quite some time until it seemed like someone had tapped him on the shoulder. Someone had. He rose up only to be asked by a man if he could return to his seat so the pastor could get on with the sermon.

He complied and arose to return to his seat. As he arrived back at row eight, he noticed that the lady had scooted over to occupy the aisle seat once occupied by him. This time she smiled a triumphant smile.

He said, “Excuse me” as he moved past her into the pew. She had hoped that her sitting forward in the pew would discourage him from trying this, but her hopes were soon dashed. As he sat down he turned as to return her smile and he found out her smile had already gotten tired and had been replaced by a bad case of persimmons.

The service continued and concluded at the expected hour in order to keep the congregation there as long as the pastor. Besides, this pastor had heard what happened to his predecessor. He once ran into the kickoff of a big football game and nothing hurts a congregation more than a pastor who runs into the kickoff. Of course, no pastor has done such a dastardly thing twice without being sent to a cannibalistic country as a missionary.

Before the lady could leave, the stranger turned to her and reached out his hand to shake hers. Taken by surprise the stranger had managed to clasp her hand before she could pull it away.

As His nail-scarred hand took hers, it was as if scales fell from her eyes and for the first time she realized who this stranger was. Her tears did not flow, they gushed. He embraced her as they began to talk and after a few moments they headed toward the altar to pray. No one had noticed any of this as they were all too busy beating a hasty retreat.

The next Sunday people were immersed in typical pre-service conversation when a hush fell over the crowd as Mrs. Oddbody arrived. Not only was she accompanied by the stranger, but she had stopped by the orphanage and picked up a carload of boys which she instructed into the pew ahead of her. Anyone could have heard a hymnal drop as Mrs. Oddbody looked up and everyone could see the glow on her face. She looked twenty years younger.

After Mrs. Oddbody and all the boys were seated, the stranger turned away and went to take a seat next to the man who had tapped Him on the shoulder the week before. The puffed-up man had no idea he was about to make a newfound friend.

Just as Jesus planned to do with this church, why not begin today to change the people whose hearts are not near to God.

Matthew 5:44 Jesus says, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

( By Steve Demaree )