“You’ve made your bed, now lie in it” has got to be one of my favorite expressions of all time.
As a founding (and former) member of the “It Ain’t Nothin’ To Cut That B* Off” Defense Mechanism and Protection Plan, those became some of my last fighting words as relationships closed, whether audibly spoken or not. I had to leave that anthem, which was so thoughtfully written by the philosopher K Camp, behind when I chose to be delivered from the spirit of pettiness. In many ways, I’ve been challenged to rethink the metaphor of the bed too.
You’ve made your bed. You were intentional in the choices that you made.
Now lie in it. Accept the consequences, and resultantly, the way your life has shifted because of it.
That’s an empowering statement when you’re the one minding your business, drinking your water, and lowkey seeking retribution from a distance. Well, what happens when you’re the one sitting in your bed, lacking, lost, and confused?
The primary function of a bed is to be a place of rest. A place to awaken with fresh energy and perspective. A place to dream. Well, speaking both metaphorically and literally, I go through seasons where my “bed” is a place where my dreams go to die.
Literally, there are days when I fight to get out of bed, no matter how much I believe my life has a purpose. Metaphorically, there are times when I hyper analyze the choices I’ve made, replaying conversations and life moments on loop, in a way that inhibits me from moving forward in freedom. My bed, a queen-sized, memory foam outfitted, white sheets and throw pillow adorned, safe haven, can be corrupted with thoughts and feelings of disappointment, shame, grief, and doubt, that directly impact my trust, obedience, and willpower to recharge and be filled with inspiration to get up, enter the world, and do all that I know God has set forth for me to do.
When I need a reminder to zoom out to see the fullness of how I am being covered, the progress I am making, and the blessings set aside for me to walk into, I think about Galatians 6:9.
“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Be reminded of the work you’re doing. Remember how far you’ve come. Look at what you’re walking in now and reflect on how it once was a bullet point on a sheet of paper, an image clipped from a magazine and attached to a vision board, or a latent prayer written on the depths of your heart. Rest in knowing that you are doing good. You’re growing. You’re loving others well. You’re influencing the culture.
For at the proper time, not your timeline, but the proper timeline, you will reap the harvest if you don’t give up.
Let me encourage you in this.
You can go from nothing to everything, in God’s timing. His timing is directly correlated with blessings, favor, and goodness and is not limited to whatever you’re waiting on, or the next peak you’re looking to reach. God is faithful enough to get you where you want to go, and he’s intentional enough to lace each season with blessings, lessons, and tools specific to what you’re walking through.
Do you need help?
Are you lacking inspiration?
Is connection and community the desire of your heart?
Could you use some accountability and direction?
Have you given up on love and companionship?
Is your prayer centered on confirmation and clarity?
Well good news, you can get your hopes up because it’s here and within reach. Remain alert, and open your eyes to the new strategies, new building blocks, new people and points of view that are within your sphere right now, intentionally, to serve you in this season.
Comparison, guilt, rejection, doubt, and anxiety no longer have the power to disable your ability to cast vision and act on it. The serpent may have bruised your heel, but you’re called to crush his head*, meaning you are going to win despite what you’re going through, what you’ve been through, and what you’re going to go through.
Reclaim your bed — whether that’s your place and time of rest, or the actions you’ve committed that you feel you have to live with, and choose to dream again.
*Shout out to Sarah Jakes Roberts and The Bruised Heel Society! Also see the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 for more context.