The Bed of Exultation

Psalm 149: 5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.
Saturday, I saw a commercial on television about a mattress sale a local furniture store was offering. The lowest sale price offered seemed ridiculously low and much lower than what I imagined the price of a mattress might be. I thought for a moment about the wisdom of a young man named Roland, who for a couple of years roomed with my son, Nathan in New York. Roland at the time was in merchanzing clothing at a big named department store. He told me that at the time, there were only a handful for producers of shirts and socks in the world, mainly in China, and that the major sellers of those products would contract with the producers to have the shirts and socks manufactured to their specifications. Roland encouraged me to look closely at what I intended to buy, and I would be able to notice how similar the product is.
That was Saturday. On Sunday, after church and the Sunday meal, I got in the car and found the mattress store. As I walked into the store, a young saleswoman greeted me, and I told her I was looking for a new mattress. She directed me to a mattress that was way above the price I was prepared to pay. After a little discussion, we settled on some mattresses that were more in my price range. After laying on several mattresses and trying to imagine if my wife would find one that pleased her, I chose one that was affordable and comfortable.
The young saleswoman directed me to her work space where she had a computer waiting. As she asked for my name and address, she asked how I intended to pay for my purchase. I told her I intended to pay with prayer. The salesman seated next to her looked up, and he told her he knew who I was and that I was the pastor of a major church in Detroit. Under my pandemic-driven mask, he did not recognize me. The young saleswoman snapped her head up toward me and informed me she was looking for a new church. I asked her where she attended church. She told me. I let her know I knew exactly where she went to church and I knew her pastor. I am not into stealing members from other churches, but she was the one who, “Opened the door.” As it turned out, I did not have my business card in my possession, so I wrote the name, address and website of my church on a piece of paper and gave it to her.
We finished the transaction, and the bed was delivered on Monday. It has been about 34 years since Denise and I got a new mattress. She had been complaining about the bed being lumpy and every now and then she was getting pricked with a spring. A few years ago, I purchased a beautiful bed frame, but being cheap, I did not change the old mattress at the time the new frame arrived, The new bed frame is the color of, “Sea-Blue.” I think it is a beautiful frame, so beautiful, I had the wall opposite the bed frame painted to match the bed.
Our bedroom with the bed frame and wall to match, absolutely relax me. I find the whole experience of going to bed, sleeping in the bed, and waking in the bed to be a royal exercise and a complete joy!
When Denise and I first were married, we lived in an apartment and slept with the bed and box spring on the floor without a frame. After the first eight years, we moved to a house, with a lot of rooms, three floors and a basement. The mattress and box spring were still on the floor. Once, the Men’s Club from the church met at our home. I asked the men to take their coats and throw them on the bed. When the meeting was over, and the meal was finished, I directed the men to go upstairs to our bed room to retrieve their coats. It seemed like it was taking the men, all who were older than I, a long time to come downstairs, so I went up there to see what was taking them so long. Several of the men were spread out on three sides of our bed and staring down at the coats and the mattress on a box-spring that was so low, right off the floor. Cliff Graham, one of the old guys looked up at me with a nasty grin and said, “Nick, your bed is really low.” I smiled at him and replied, “It’s not how low the bed is. I can get down into the bed, but I can also rise, and get out of it!” The men fell out laughing and we were straight ever since!
Denise became pregnant shortly after that, and she asked me in such a nice way, “Do you think we could afford a frame for the bed?” I felt like a stingy fool, and said, “Of course!” We have had a real bed frame ever since.
Thank you for bearing with me, and the story of how Denise and I got off the floor and began to sleep in a bed like adults. I enjoyed sleeping on the floor, but like the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13: “When I was a child, I thought like a child, acted like a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” We have been in a bed ever since!
Thank you for reading. Pray for Denise and me and our new mattresses! Blessings.
Nick
Questions for Reflection:
- What do you think about the story of the purchase of the new mattress and box spring?
- What is the significance of the bed and mattress in a marriage?
- Where do you find reasons to praise God in your home?
- Where do you find space to relax and give glory to God?
- Other thoughts on this writing?
Prayer: God, I thank you for the intimate joy of marriage. I thank you for the bed of rest, the bed of peace, the bed of love. May every day be a day of joy and every night, a night of satisfaction, exhilaration and personal and mutual joy. In everything may we give glory to your name! In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Written by Pastor Nick Hood3
Photo by Pastor Nick Hood3
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Thank you,
Nick