Amelia Rhodes

Author, Speaker, Community Connector

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A Morning Manifesto

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morning_manifesto

Mornings have never been easy for me. I’ve tried everything in the book. I’ve put the alarm clock across the room, set a stereo to start blasting a happy tune, had a friend call or text me, and even gone to bed earlier. Nothing convinces my brain to wake up on the spot.

I once had a friend approach me in the lunch room at work. “Amelia, do you realize that you’re wearing two different shoes?” I looked down and discovered that I was wearing two different brown dress shoes – one with a 1-inch heel, the other with a 1.5-inch heel. I hadn’t even noticed. That’s how fuzzy my brain is in the mornings.

Today, when I read the e-mail at 6:30 a.m. that school was cancelled for the fourth day in a row, I pulled the sheets over my head and hoped it was just a bad dream. (I love my children, but even they are begging to go back to school!)

Over the past few weeks, I’ve come to the conviction that I need to do better in the mornings. So, I wrote up a morning manifesto. This is the first thing that rolls through my mind every morning. I recite it to myself as a sort of prayer for help, before I toss the sheets. (This morning, I said it over and over for about a half hour!)

Maybe it will encourage you in the mornings. If you have any statements and verses that you’d add, please let me know in the comments. I’ve kept mine simple and familiar because, well, my brain doesn’t function so well first thing in the morning!

A Morning Manifesto:

I will greet this day with joy.

For this is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps 118:24 NKJV)

Today is a great day to love.

I will love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind and my family, friends and neighbors as myself. (Matt. 22:37-39)

Today, I will walk by the Spirit.

For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)

 These simple reminders first thing in the morning help me start my day remembering who I am and what I want to be about. I’ve found it makes a difference in how I start my day. It’s one little way I’m growing in my ordinary routines this year.

How about you? Have anything you’d add to a morning manifesto?

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  3. I feel like God has been trying to teach me a similar lesson. Your manifesto made me think of Og Mandino who writes, “I will great this day with love in my heart.” I also love the verse in the Bible that reminds us that “Joy comes in the morning.” I try to remember these two things when I first wake up but there are many mornings when it’s hard to do. Thank you, Amelia for this reminder and encouragement. Now rise and shine, sweet friend!