The King Size Bed

The wrapping paper is crumpled and swept aside.

Boxes are stacked in corners, some already forgotten, others carefully saved.
The house smells like yesterday’s meal—ham and cinnamon, coffee reheated one more time.

Lights still glow, but a little softer now. Trees remain, though already beginning their quiet retreat.

Comfort food has been enjoyed. Fruitcake has been politely received.
Cards have been read and set aside. Old stories retold. Memories stirred.
Laughter has lingered. Tears may have surfaced. Sentiment has warmed cold places in the heart.

Carols were sung. Candles were lit. Sanctuaries were filled.
Hope was offered. Joy was celebrated. Love was honored.
Peace—if only briefly—made its way into crowded lives.

• The angels have heralded.
• The shepherds have watched.
• The Magi have journeyed.

And most importantly—
the Christ child has been honored, worshiped, and adored.

It has been a full season.
A beautiful season.
A tiring season.
And now, on the day after Christmas, we rest.

One of the reasons Jesus came was to offer divine rest—rest from striving, from confusion, from the weight of our brokenness and the noise of the world. He invites weary souls to lay down what they carry and find renewal in Him.

And yet, today, I am also deeply grateful for a very practical kind of rest: a quiet house, a slower morning, a comfortable bed.

So let me offer a gentle question on this day after Christmas:
What kind of bed will you rest in now?

A Single (or Twin) Bed
Some will rest alone—not necessarily in body, but in spirit.
Their Christmas was centered on themselves: what they received, how they felt, whether the day lived up to expectations. I know this bed well. For many years, I measured Christmas by mood and material, by festivity and gifts.
But it’s hard to rest deeply in a selfish bed.
As Augustine wisely observed, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.
No amount of celebration can quiet a soul that was never meant to satisfy itself.

A Double or Queen Bed
Others will rest in a shared bed—metaphorically speaking—finding comfort in family and loved ones. This is good. Beautiful, even.
Children returning home.
Tables filled again.
Flights are taken from faraway places so people can simply be together.
And yet, how often do we leave Christmas gatherings more tired than when we arrived?
Love sustains us—but even love, on its own, cannot fully restore us.

A King-Sized Bed
Then there is another bed.
Not plush. Not decorated. Not impressive by worldly standards.
It is a manger.
And it holds a King.
This bed does not promise comfort—it promises presence.

Here, our souls are satisfied.
Our sins are forgiven.
Our hope becomes more than a feeling.
Our strength is renewed.

Life—full, lasting, abundant—begins to take shape.
This Christmas season, Jesus still offers rest.

But that rest will not be found in self-focus.
Nor will it be sustained by even the best relationships alone.
It is found when we lay ourselves down at the feet of the King.
So today—after the gifts are opened, the guests have gone, and the noise has quieted—
May you choose the King-sized bed.
And as the carol gently reminds us,
May you truly sleep in heavenly peace.

Merry Christmas, my friend.
Rest well.