If it wasn’t for 9/11, we would have had something else to remember yesterday. However, this might be something that some of you would rather not remember. Yesterday was National Make Your Bed Day.
I grew up in a home where the bed was made every morning. I was taught at an early age to make my own bed. For those who believe us only children were just mama’s boys who had everything done for them, think again! I made my own bed from as early as I can remember. That was just a part of the responsibility to keep your room clean.
Through the years, I’ve been amazed – and somewhat shocked – by the number of adults who will admit that they don’t make their beds on a regular basis. The explanation is that they are planning to crawl right back into it at the end of the day so why make it just to mess it up.
I’m a bit of a neurotic weirdo. I can’t sleep in an unmade bed. The bed must be made before I can crawl in. That means making sure the sheets are all tucked in at the bottom and the covers are evenly distributed on both sides of the bed. Now, lest you think that I need to be examined by a psychiatrist, I found out that my approach to the bed is scientific.
“At a Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program, participants learn that the sleep environment is a major component of a restful night’s sleep. In a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, people who make their bed daily more often have a better night’s sleep. Fresh sheets, dark and cool rooms, and comfortable mattresses and pillows also play a factor in mastering sleep comfort.
“Besides the comfort level, the visual appeal of a well-made bed invites us to slumber. Almost like a blank canvas draws an artist to paint, a comfortably made bed calls to us. Who wants to face crumpled sheets and twisted blankets at the end of the day? Our bed and bedroom should be a sanctuary. And once our bed is made, very little is required of us but to slip between the sheets. When we’re tired, we ask for no more demands from the day, least of all from our bed.”1
Anyone else reading this feeling justified with this information?!? Glad I could help!
There is a phrase about bed making that has been in the English language since 1640 and is attributed to Robert Davenport’s play The City Night Cap. He wrote, “You must lie in your own bed, how foul soever you have made it.” Through the years, the phrase has evolved and changed to what we are more familiar with. “You made your bed; now lie in it.” In other words, deal with the consequences you created.
The thought behind this phrase can be found in Scripture. Proverbs 1:31 says, “Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.” And
Galatians 6:7-8 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (8) For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
The consequences of life were created in how we made the bed – how we prepared for the end of the day, so to speak. Many are living out the consequences of an untidy, messy life. Is there hope for them? Absolutely!!
The Christian need only to employ 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The lost soul needs to “call upon the name of the Lord” and they “shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13) Does forgiveness make consequences go away? No. There is no divine disappearing act and we often must bear the consequences of our actions regardless of our confession. A person who robs a bank but gets saved in jail is still going to go to prison.
Today’s National Day Calendar celebration may not motivate you to start making your bed after you wake up. However, allow it to be a reminder that the bed of our lives needs to be made carefully every day. Ephesians 5:15-17 leaves us with this thought. “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, (16) Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (17) Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
1https://nationaldaycalendar.com/celebrations/national-make-your-bed-day-september-11
Images are taken from https://pixabay.com/, https://www.pexels.com/, or https://unsplash.com/images or created in Windows Copilot. According to the websites, they are Royalty Free and free to be used for our purposes.
