Get Up and Make Your Bed

“Peter said, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!’ And he did, it was up and out of bed in a moment.” Acts 9:34 (MSG)

I finally found a Bible verse I can use to tell my kids to clean their room. “Jesus said: get up and make your bed!” 😂

Funny thing is I didn’t always make mine either.

When I went through a tough season a few years ago, there were days I didn’t want to get out of bed, much less make it. Depression, shame, and exhaustion had me stuck. But I’ll never forget the advice a mentor gave me: “Start with something small you can finish, like making your bed.”

At the time, it sounded like a joke. But I did it. And something shifted.
It didn’t solve everything, but it reminded me: You’re still here. You still have a choice. You can start again.

That’s what makes this verse about Aeneas hit me differently.
After eight years of being paralyzed, Peter doesn’t just say, “You’re healed.” He says: “Get up. Make your bed.”

Two simple commands that carry so much meaning.

Get Up

This is about motion. Change. Response.

Jesus did the healing, but Aeneas had to move.
After years of lying down, this was a defining moment. Would he rise?

Sometimes we wait for change to feel different before we act.
But faith often means acting before you feel ready.

You’re not meant to stay in what Jesus already called you out of.

How to Get Up:

• Shift your Sight – Stop focusing on where you’ve been, what didn’t work, or how long you’ve been stuck. Start lifting your eyes to where God is leading. Healing begins when your perspective changes and you begin to believe there’s more ahead than behind.

  Start Small – You don’t have to fix everything overnight. You don’t need to leap into a new season all at once. Just lean forward. One small, obedient step can create momentum. Consistency matters more than intensity.

Make Your Bed

This might seem small, but it matters.

Making the bed was symbolic. It meant, “I’m not going back to that mat. That’s not my identity anymore.”

Order. Ownership. Forward motion.

And yes, Aeneas would sleep again. But not like before.
Before, his bed was a place of dependence. After Jesus healed him, it became a place of rest, not restriction.

The bed wasn’t the problem. Staying in it was.

So when you “make your bed,” you’re not saying you’ll never need rest again.
You’re saying, “I’m not living stuck anymore. This space doesn’t own me, I’m walking in freedom.”

How to Make Your Bed:

• Create Clarity – Chaos often keeps us stuck, but clarity helps us move forward. Start by putting some simple structure around your day. Set a schedule, even if it’s just for the morning. Write down what matters most and name your next steps. Clarity brings confidence.

  Claim Your Space – Healing isn’t just about feeling better, it’s about taking your life back. Step into ownership again. Clean the room. Open the Bible. Make the call. Take responsibility spiritually, mentally, and practically. When you claim your space, you reclaim your purpose.

So whether you're in a season of getting up or learning to make your bed again, let this be your prayer today:

Jesus, thank You for healing, for hope, and for calling me to move forward.
I don’t want to stay stuck in what You’ve already freed me from.
Help me rise and give me the discipline to keep moving.
Today, I’ll get up and make the bed. Amen.

Make It Personal:

• What area of your life is God telling you to get up from?

• What’s one small step you can take today to show you’re moving forward?

• Is there something you need to put in order as a sign you’re not going back?