For some reason Mom and Doug weren’t at church the Sunday I finally surrendered myself to the Lord. I went by Mom’s and told her that I had just been saved. That night we all went back to church. Mom told the church how grateful she was that her last child had finally been saved.

           Then Doug got up and addressed the church. What he told them floored me. He simply said “I want to thank God for answering my prayers.” Then there was silence again. Not only had God used this “mentally handicapped” person to witness to me He also honored the prayers he had been praying for me. God used this experience to say to me,” I love you this much.” As I have continued my walk with Him through His Word I realize that what Jesus did was the ultimate way of saying to me, “I love you this much,” but at the onset of my walk with Him He used this earthly experience to communicate His great love to me.

           My perspective about “mentally handicapped” individuals has changed because I realized through this experience that when we don’t allow God to control our mind with His thoughts we handicap ourselves in every way. We say things like, “I can’t witness,” when all we need to know is where forgiveness comes from, communicate that to others in as few words as possible and shut up.

             Psalm 8:2 “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. One of the definitions of “babes” is “a simple minded person.” If a person like my brother, “with all his limitations” can get the attention of Almighty God on behalf of others what excuse so I have for not praying.