Blanket Victory

“Let’s get to work, son.” the words turned white as they hit the air. He used what looked like gloves, but were just his calloused hands, to wipe the snow off his thickened van Dyke, “Gonna be a cold one!” It was a cold one alright. That 6AM, Colorado blizzard, bouncing spit, kind of cold. So we got to work. Working through frozen hands and missing finger nails we finished framing that house before spring break was over. I finished that annoying spring break homework on the hour long journey it took to get from the bad side of town to the good high-school I was attending. While others boasted of their vacations, I grinned at my calluses. My father may not have given me a lavish vacation like my classmates with soft hands, but he did provide me with valuable lessons. The most valuable, in my opinion- my father may disagree, being the lesson of ‘blanket-victory’. 

An hour before we got to work on that house my father woke me up with familiar words, words I’d heard a thousand times before- “Wake up, son! Curse your sheets! Gain victory over your blankets! It’s the first battle of the day!”


At one point in my life it was almost a nuisance. It seemed like he would always wake me up and give me the ‘blanket-victory’ speech just a little before I was actually going to wake up. If I was planning on getting up at 7, he’d do it at 6:45, if I was planning on 6:45, he’d start at 6:30. But without that I wouldn’t have learned the lesson. The lesson of defeating my blankets. Because let’s face it, when you pretty-boys get your full 9.5hrs of sleep and wake up to the birds chirping and golden sunshine on your face, you’re not fighting anything. The fighting belongs to the father who gets up at 4:30AM, sips his coffee black, performs his daily duties till 10PM, then does it again the next day. 


I find it interesting that in the book of Proverbs, a book written to young men, Solomon specifically goes after laziness multiple times. Why? Because young men are prone to such a thing. Young men are prone to be sluggards which inevitably entails sleeping too much - “As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.” (Prov. 26:14) This destructive sin is ultimately traced back to his desire- “The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.” (Prov. 21:25) And his desire for comfort- “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.” (Prov. 20:4) The man who refuses to gain blanket-victory is driven by his desires and a need for comfort. He has a quick and easy answer to Solomon’s question- “How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?” (Prov. 6:9) he answers, “I’ll rise when it’s no longer a challenge!”


This is what makes ‘blanket-victory’ a pillar in the sanctification process. A man who cannot get ‘blanket-victory’ is a slave to his desires and a glutton of his comforts. So what do you think happens when other battles pop-up through out the day? Well my money would be on him bending. When you’ve been conquered by flaccid blankets and soft pillows, it’s a dead giveaway for what happens when you’re confronted with the hard knuckles of the devil. Show me a man who cannot attain ‘blanket-victory’ and I’ll show you a man with an explicit search history. The first battle of the day sets precedent for the day. The day sets precedent for the week, the week sets precedent for the month, and so on and so forth. Sure, you can lose a few battles, but you must win a majority to win the war. And when you do lose battles, and you will, walk in forgiveness and redeem the day. 


So challenge yourself. Set the alarm a little earlier. And when you wake up, tell your sheets that they’re cowards. Call your “comforter” an impostor. Give the middle finger to your pillow. Then deny yourself, pick up your cross, and get out of bed.


DISCLAIMER: I don’t really feel like nuancing this post. So please, read with charity. If you find yourself asking “so everyone who is disciplined enough to get up in the morning is going to heaven? And if I sleep in I’m going to hell?” or any other stupid questions like that just assume I’m smarter than the average grasshopper and didn’t mean that specifically.