Yesterday on my social media, I answered the question:
“What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?”
My answer was this simple statement:`
Do the next right thing.
Elisabeth Elliot
I added, “No matter if you’re in a time of sorrow, or it’s a time of busyness, or you’re feeling overwhelmed in parenting or marriage – what is the next thing? It’s that easy.”
How has that piece of advice helped me? I probably say it to myself at least once every single day. I often get “stuck” and don’t know what to think or say or do. But when I ask the Lord for the next right thing, He always leads me to my next step.
Just yesterday I was trying to make a decision. I felt flustered and anxious, but when I asked the Lord for the next right thing, He didn’t give me the answer for the decision, He said, “Go fold the laundry.” It had just finished drying, and was waiting for me
to finish the task. As I took each warm piece of clothing out and folded it, I was also considering the decision that needed an answer. My hands could be busy while my mind contemplated and prayed.
After the laundry had been dutifully delivered to drawers and closets, I returned to the question at hand. Within ten minutes, God had brought a clear answer to my need. Those few minutes had allowed me to complete a task as I talked to my Father. It was the next right thing.
When I rise in the morning, I try to make it my daily habit to quickly find my “Quiet Place” where I can dig into God’s Word and then spend time in prayer. Because my Bible plan is on my phone, I am often distracted by a text or notification. But when the Spirit of God whispers, “Do the next right thing,” I know it isn’t to respond to the notification, but to ignore it for the time being. It can be read later, for the next right thing is my open Bible and the voice of God speaking to my heart.
I’m often drawn away from home in my thoughts when I consider shopping or browsing, but when I ask myself what my next right step would be, I’m often reminded of tasks that need to be done at home such as a meal prepared, weeds pulled, or a note sent. There will be time for shopping and browsing on another day, but on some occasions, the next right thing is to be a good manager of my time at home.
Sometimes “the next right thing” has been a 20-minute nap, or saying, “Please forgive me,” or reaching out to connect with a friend. The blessing of practicing this principle is that it causes me to live in this moment – not in the worry of the next! I might not know how I’m going to deal with the difficulty of a situation that has arisen, but I can do one more right thing! This truth has simplified my life!
I would encourage you to apply this simple piece of advice to your life and watch how it will refresh your spirit as you obey God’s directives to do the next right thing!
RefreshHer 