Seize the Morning!

June 7, 2026

When I was a young man, I saw a movie starring Robin Williams called “Dead Poets Society.” There was a phrase that Robin Williams’ character taught his students. It was the Latin phrase “Carpe Diem.” This phrase means “To seize the day.” For those who might be interested, Carpe Diem is only part of the phrase. The complete line is “carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero,” which translates to "pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in tomorrow." I have thought about that phrase a lot, and looking back over my life, there are a few days that I have seized. However, quite often, instead of me seizing the day, the day seized me! The days that have turned out more successful than others seem to be the days when the morning starts off right. Perhaps we should use the phrase “seize the morning.” In Mark 1:35, we read: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” If the Son of God needed quiet time with the Father to prepare for His day, you’d better believe we do too. We need to spend less time checking our schedules and more time in solitude with God. Instead of checking in with the crowd, perhaps we should spend more time checking in with God. Jesus didn’t start with His schedule. When we begin our mornings with God, our minds settle before the world's bedlam can get its talons into us. Here is a Psalm that might help us. In Psalm 5:3, David prayed: “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” Do you see the order? Speak to God. Lay your worries before Him, and then, wait in faith. Here are some tips for seizing the morning. First, pray before you get up. It doesn’t take long for negative thoughts to start creeping in. Maybe a 30-second prayer, surrendering your heart to God’s will for the day, will do the trick. Second, before you get on your phone, go to God’s throne (I stole that phrase, but he makes a great point). Before checking who won the baseball game yesterday, open your Bible and spend some time reading it, which brings us to the third tip. Instead of reading a long passage, try reading a few verses slowly and carefully, thinking about them, and then reflecting on them throughout the day. Finally, if you miss a morning, and sometimes you will, start up again tomorrow. It’s not about quantity, it's about consistency. It’s not supposed to be a chore. It’s supposed to be a joy.

Be Blessed and then go be a Blessing . . . Bro Andy