Why I Make My Bed

His eyes cracked open, but he saw nothing but darkness for a moment. In the next instant, he heard the duty shout, “Lights, lights, lights!”  Marine Corps recruit Adams sprang out of bed as drill instructors rushed into the barracks room on Paris Island Recruit Depot, shouting rapid instructions to the platoon.

To the civilian eye, total chaos ensued as orders were barked out for the platoon to begin getting dressed, with the recruits answering, “Aye, Sir!” at the top of their lungs. Finally, after everyone was dressed to satisfaction, came the first real task of the day, making their bed.

To add to the stress, the drill instructors counted them down, and anyone who did not complete the task in the allotted time or to Marine Corps standards was subsequently forced to start over, affecting the entire platoon. Sheets and blankets were pulled tight with 90-degree angles, then 45-degree angles.

“Aye, Sir!” and “Yes, Sir!” echoed throughout the barracks rooms. Recruit Adams hurriedly pulled his sheets tight, keeping in mind that it would need to pass the “quarter test,” which was when a drill instructor would bounce a quarter off the bed. If the quarter “bounced,” the bed was tight enough. Absolute perfection was demanded even in this seemingly mundane task.

A fascinating thing happened, though. After weeks of hearing those instructions delivered in the exact same way, and amidst all the commotion of the recruits, time started to slow down. He was able to focus only on what he needed to hear. What was once chaos was now discipline and order.

Formless and Empty

How do I know this story so well? Well, Ben Adams is my husband of 15 years. We were married two months before he left on his first deployment. I can tell you that by the time his unit was deployed, they were all well-trained Marines.

This story made me think…what started as learning to do a simple task, like making their bed to Marine Corps specifications in boot camp, helped these Marines from many different backgrounds develop discipline and order in their everyday lives. That discipline helped to develop their ability to listen, to lead, and to make good decisions in combat.

Genesis 1:2-3 says, “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Formless and empty. Darkness and chaos. Then the very words of God spoke light into the world, which began a creation of beauty and order that is so stunning, so complex and perfect, words can never do it justice, and we will never fully understand it.

Is Your Life Full of Chaos?

Most of us have chaotic days from time to time. Perhaps you are going through a season of total chaos, where every day seems overwhelming. Maybe even making your bed seems too daunting a task.

In the words of Admiral William H. McRaven, “If you want to change the world, make your bed.” He drives home the point that disciplining yourself to accomplish the first task of the day makes it easier to move on to the next task, and then the next. Soon, you are accomplishing things you once wouldn’t have thought possible.

I’ve been there. Life was so void and out of my control that what I now enjoy as part of my morning rhythm to set the day was too overwhelming to even think about. However, as I’ve experienced many times, making your bed can truly be life-changing.

My pastor often talks about the fact that work is a form of worship. Luke 16:10 states, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.” Obedience in the mundane things will allow God to speak peace and order into your life, one task at a time, one day at a time.