Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

Philippians 4:1

When I was young my mom taught me to make my bed. I’m sure it wasn’t perfection, but she taught me the importance of starting and completing a task.

Several years ago I came across this story – at the University of Texas commencement in 2014, Naval Adm. William H. McRaven challenged the graduates with the following statement: “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

His point was that if “you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.”

If you fail at the little things, how will you ever accomplish something bigger?

Like making our bed, many people might disregard the simple command from the verse above – stay true to the Lord. Like making our bed in the morning, It’s a commitment we make moment by moment each day.