Morning Syndrome

Okay, Doctor (that's you), I'm going to explain my signs and symptoms and see what you think. 

I've been having this strange feeling lately. It feels like a very mild cold, the type that makes you want to stay in bed all day but that is not actually bad enough to make you. The kind that could give you an excuse to cancel all your plans for the day if you were desperate, but you don't want to be, so you press on and power through.  

There is no fever, no stomach pain, no headache, no dizziness, no nothing else. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I would say it's less physical and more emotional. It feels like I just don't want to get up and face the day.

Oh, and strangely, it happens every single morning. 

But I get up anyway, and you know what? As soon as I step out the door and start my day, great things start happening and I forget all about my bizarre fatigue. When the end of the day arrives, I can't go to sleep because I keep pondering all the good things that God has done for me. I finally fall asleep in the middle of my prayer of thanksgiving. 

But instead of springing out of bed the next morning like I feel like I should, I feel sick and tired all over again. There is this heaviness in my heart that makes me dread the day and just want to stay in bed. I know that I will be rejoicing at the end of the day and have a story to tell and a list of things to be thankful for, but in the morning, even those assurances are outweighed by the overwhelming desire to never leave the house. But I get up anyway, I get going, I forget all about it, and I have another amazing, wonderful day just like I knew I would. 

You probably think I'm crazy. Or depressed. Or in classic culture shock. And those things are probably be true, but I'm calling this strange feeling for what it is. I believe it's a spiritual attack, and I'm self-diagnosing myself with what I call "Morning Syndrome". 

Morning Syndrome occurs when you are right exactly where God wants you to be and the enemy is doing everything he can to get you out of there. It occurs when your days are full of joy and Satan tries to rob you of that joy. When you are actually spending your days really well, the devil's next strategy is to tempt you to stay in bed all day. And so every morning when you wake up, he slams you with emotional fatigue and that mild cold feeling so that you just might make the excuse to just take the day off. Or at least the fatigue will slow you down. 

Morning Syndrome frustrates me. I've figured out the enemy's strategy and, quite frankly, it ticks me off. Morning sickness makes me feel lazy and sad from the very start of the day, and even worse, it makes me forget all the wonderful things God has done. It makes me lose motivation and passion for the activities ahead of me throughout the day. And it hits first thing every morning. I know it sounds pathetic, but I'm speaking honestly and with vulnerability because I don't think I'm the only one who has felt this way before. That's why I'm writing this - for you who have struggled with or are currently dealing with my Morning Syndrome

Thankfully, Morning Syndrome is not without a cure! After my self-diagnosis, I've been implementing some strategies that I have found effective and that I hope will empower you as well. 

If morning is when the enemy is going to attack, then morning is when we are going to strike back. That means the morning is the most important part of the day, and we are going to focus our efforts on these first critical moments. 

1. Spend time with the Lord first thing in the morning. If Satan thinks he has the home field advantage in the mornings, then we are going to show him that he doesn't by dedicating that time to prayer, Bible reading, meditation, and personal worship. Our sword is the Word of God and our shield is faith; therefore, starting the day in God's presence is an absolute sure way to send the enemy running and conquer him from square one. 

2. Warm your heart with a cup of hot tea and a warm muffin. This is just a simple way of saying to nourish your body first thing in the morning with something that you enjoy and that will give your body strength and healthy nourishment. For me, the idea of hot tea with a banan nut muffin is just enough to get me out of bed and my day started. 

3. Get outside. Sit and watch the sun rise in the sky and feel it's warmth on your face. There is something powerfully assuring and strength-giving about watching the beauty of the morning. It speaks of God's faithfulness if we are quiet enough to listen. 

4. Play or sing your favorite worship music. I'm fully convinced that worship is the solution for everything. 

5. Get up and get going. Sometimes the most faith-filled thing we can do is put on our shoes and walk out the door. Organize some of your activities in the morning so that you have a motivation to get going, but don't plan things that will interrupt your most crucial time with the Lord first. 

If you battle Morning Syndrome like me, be encouraged by knowing that your days matter and that this is happening because you have a value in the kingdom of God that Satan wants to destroy as soon as possible. It's not a strange illness, and it's not something that no one else has ever experienced, and it's not something that you have to do alone. It's certainly not something beyond God's knowledge or power. 

God loves mornings. He is up every morning, and he is the one that wakes us up so he can encourage our hearts, strengthen our hands, and give us a lightness of step that will carry us through the day to experience all that he has in store for us. 

Psalm 143:8

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

Psalm 90:14

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Psalm 5:3

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Psalm 59:16

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 65:8

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.

There's a new kind of Morning Syndrome - one that fills us with wonder and awe every morning, one that gives us unexplainable (because that's what a "syndrome" is - something unexplainable) passion and joy for every new day, one that makes us spring out of bed in the mornings to see what God is going to teach us through his word and through the blessings and trials of each day. 

May the God of the Morning show us his glory every morning and fill us with his strength so that we can go forth to share his love with our neighbors and the nations. I can already feel the enemy losing ground.