Daily Devotionals by Ardith Keef

It does not take an intelligent person to know and understand the Word of God - it just takes an obedient person.

One of the deepest Believers I have known was severely mentally retarded. Her name was Shirley.

I was sixteen years old and attended a Christian and Missionary Alliance church in Mcallen, Texas. Shirley was at least in her mid-forties and also had a cleft palette and heir lip. It was difficult to understand her, and she also looked strange. At her ripe age, she wore full skirts with rolled-down, white bobby sox, inside penny loafers without the penny.

Shirley never missed a meeting. I can't remember how she got to church, but she was always there. During the Wednesday night prayer meetings, all of us teenagers wished desperately the pastor would not put us in Shirley's prayer group. Not only was Shirley hard to understand, but she could see right through all of us. She was the only person in the church who knew I was not saved.

Shirley did her best. She was always cornering me and talking to me about my life. She made me miserable. I was never unkind to her, but I did all I could to avoid her.

It did not work. She always found me and she never failed to accurately quote scripture, and tell me that I was headed the wrong way. My own mother did not know I wasn't saved. But, Shirley knew.

Shirley knew Jesus. Shirley recognized Jesus. Shirley prayed all the time, and she knew what was important.

The day I met the Lord, I thought of Shirley, and I knew the Holy Spirit had a free hand with her. I knew the Lord had spoken to me through Shirley.

May the Lord have that quality of freedom with my life.