It’s All About Making the Bed
“It’s all about making the bed!” That was my brilliant deduction. It was 2:00am in the morning. I was a college student studying for my midterm on the Protestant Reformation. In my exhausted stupor, I decided that this was the reason for the Protestant Reformation. The Catholic Church was all about making the bed. What I meant was there was no lasting assurance of salvation. Every time you sinned, you had to confess and ask for forgiveness again and reaffirm your faith. Just like making the bed. You make it every morning, but then it gets messed up again when you go to bed at night. It never just stays made. Again, it was two in the morning. Not my most brilliant deduction. I think it has stayed with me because I really hate making my bed.
This analogy was my first thought when faced with reading Max Weber this week. Probably because that class was the first time I was exposed to Weber. I find German writers difficult on my best days. I am still not completely over my cough, and I have found a knack this week for banging my head on cabinets. The ensuing migraine has made it difficult to make any sense out of Weber.
While the Protestant Reformation provided for the internal assurance of salvation to converts, some would argue that the reaction was to seek an external validation. This started with the idea of ‘calling’ which Martin Luther introduced. In his dissertation, Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship, Dr. Jason Clark writes, “Luther, in effect, brought ordinary life and worldly affairs within the realm of moral duty, such that the life of ordinary people had to excel the morality of monastic ascension.”[1] Weber further argued that what was known as the Protestant Work Ethic contributed to the rise in capitalism. Clark states, “There is an inner-worldly asceticism to capitalism, the orientation and disciple of life around the material pursuit of wealth… It is in religion that Weber discerns the stimulus and impetus to overcome these forces.”[2]
From the perspective of my admittedly ridiculous analogy, I view the Protestant Work Ethic and views which flowed out of it like this. Everyone has a bed, but the type of bed you have may be an outward sign of God’s favor. What does your bed look like? What kind of sheets and what is their thread count? How many pillows do you have? What kind of blanket? Is the one who owns a high-end bed more assured of God’s favor than the one who sleeps on an IKEA pullout?
Does your bed look like this:
or more like this:
To think in such terms misses the point of grace. It is akin to the song by Genesis, Jesus He Knows Me [3] If you have not heard the song (or have not listened to it in a while), click on the link and listen to it. The song is a parody of the televangelists of the 1980s. It highlights the emptiness of seeking materialistic rewards over seeking God. Capitalism is similar. If we are seeking material wealth just for the sake of material wealth or for some assurance of favor with God, all we will find is emptiness. I have lived in both financial struggle and financial surplus. Neither brings me any closer to God or gives me any more assurance of my salvation. I am saved by grace alone. I love how Paul states it:
I know what it is to live with humble means, and I know what it is to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment—both to be filled and to go hungry, to have abundance and to suffer need. I can do all things through Messiah who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:12-13 TLV)
I still hate making my bed and honestly rarely do it, but that does not change my relationship with my Savior.
[1] Jason Clark, “Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship” (2018). Faculty Publications – Portland Seminary, 80.
[2] Ibid., 79.
[3] Genesis, “Jesus He Knows Me,” music video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70cPSEPH28I.
About the Author
Becca Hald
Becca is an ordained Foursquare minister, serving as the Online Community Pastor at Shepherd's House Church. She has over twenty-five years of leadership experience both inside and outside the church. Becca has served her community in many capacities ranging from Administrative Assistant and Children’s Ministry Director to Secretary and President of multiple school organizations. She and her husband, Andrew have been married for over 25 years. They have two adult children, Drew and Evelyn. Her great passion is to equip others, to raise awareness about mental health, and to help reduce the negative stigma surrounding mental health issues. In her free time, she loves going to Disneyland, reading, sewing, and making cards.8 responses to “It’s All About Making the Bed”
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Becca
It is in the simplest analogies that the most difficult ideas are explained. I am so glad that my bed doesn’t need to be made in order to have a good relationship with Christ.
Thanks for making it simple!
I pray you can stop bopp’n your head! 🙂
Thank you my friend. I do like simple explanations and ones that stick with you!
Becca,
Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed your analogy about making the bed (It’s all about making the bed!) I think in your exhausted stupor you came up with something brilliant. Now on to why I am commenting. You said “While the Protestant Reformation provided for the internal assurance of salvation to converts, some would argue that the reaction was to seek an external validation. This started with the idea of ‘calling’ which Martin Luther introduced.” This is helping me make sense of our reading because like you I struggle with German writers even on my best days. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Daron, glad I could help you make some sense of Weber. German writers! I have yet to read one that I can easily make sense of. I am grateful that we can learn together and sharpen one another.
Hi Becca
I don’t think you have to hit your head to get lost while reading Weber. I completely relate (maybe I hit my head). Thank you for sharing your experience asa Catholic. The assurance question has merit. It is one of the defining questions for the mythology around John Wesley and Methodism. It seems we often look for externals as evidence that we are accepted by God. Making the bed is a great analogy of this. Are there other metaphors you have picked up in the wider culture or religious culture? How does your current church answer the assurance question?
Hey Chad, great questions! I think metaphors are a great way of understanding difficult concepts. Jesus spoke frequently in parable and metaphor, so it makes sense that we would too. Some of the other metaphors I love are about the Holy Spirit or the Trinity. There are many for the Trinity – ice, water, steam; an egg with the shell, whites, and yolk; an apple with the peel, flesh, and core. My favorite for the Holy Spirit comes from a previous pastor who likened being filled with the Spirit to chocolate milk. He said that when you are saved, you receive the Spirit – it is like the chocolate being poured into the milk. Even if you leave it unstirred, it will seep into parts of the milk, but being filled with the Spirit is like stirring up the chocolate so that it mixes with every part of the milk.
As for assurance, my church focuses on grace and reminding people that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation. As it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” It is not always easy to remember, even after decades of following Jesus.
Thank God that we are saved by grace because bed making is not my favorite either. In your new wisdom, what type of analogy would you come up with as you think about this same subject?
Shonell, I so agree with you! Thank You Jesus that my salvation is not based on making my bed! I have been pondering your question… what new analogy can I think of about this subject? I started thinking about crafting and how there are one time purchases and then consumable purchases for crafting. Take sewing for example, a sewing machine is a one time purchase (well, usually, then there are people like me who buy multiple machines…). Fabric gets used up and if you want to keep sewing, you need to obtain more fabric. So in this analogy, buying fabric is the equivalent of Catholic confession and repentance. Buying a sewing machine is the equivalent of salvation. Here is the thing to remember about it – you have to take care of your sewing machine. I used Perla (my travel machine) for years before I knew to clean her or get her serviced. When I finally opened her up to clean out under the bobbin, there was years of thread, lint, etc. caught up inside. Once she was cleaned out, she worked so much better. Then I took her to a specialist to really give her a tune up. The difference was amazing. So when it comes to our salvation, it is a one time thing – a single purchase if you will. But, we have to work on it. Philippians 2:12 reminds us to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” This is not getting “resaved” or a further assurance of salvation. It is cleaning out the junk and becoming more like Jesus.