“Hello darkness, I am ready to succumb,” she says.

As she recounts the events and how her once joyful life suddenly turned into ashes, she feels grief’s mighty force pulling her down like gravity.

Her song is dark. Her body posture denotes the cold she feels inside.

And yet, deep down inside, a glimmer of hope sparks as she remembers the words of a wise old friend: “When one can see no future, all one can do is the next right thing.”

When one can see no future, all one can do is the next right thing. #MondayMotivation #MondayDevotional #Frozen2 @AJC
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The scene I describe above is not from a dramatic movie on the Hallmark channel. It is one of the many gems mined from the newest Disney fairy tale sequel, “Frozen 2.”

I watched the movie with my teenage daughters during their Christmas break. As a lover of animated films, I could not wait to see if the sequel was as good as the original feature. I was not disappointed. But more than a hefty dose of entertainment with its idyllic scenes and masterfully arranged soundtrack, Disney’s latest blockbuster offers dialogues that incite deep thoughts for its adult audience.

In the story, princess Ana was feeling lost and hopeless. Her world had crumbled in a sequence of catastrophic events. As the shadows of depression threatened to steal her joy and hope, the old troll’s advice echoed in her mind, making her get up and take one trembling step away from the dark cave where she was hiding.

And — of course — she did that singing.

“Take a step, step again. It is all that I can to do — the next right thing. I won’t look too far ahead. It’s too much for me to take. But break it down to this next breath. This next step. This next choice is one that I can make.”

Pair the lyrics with the masterful orchestra score by award-winning composer Christopher Beck and the scene made me pick up my little notebook to make a note for this column:

“When you don’t see the future – do the next right thing.”

The concept reminded me of a verse in one of my favorite passages in scriptures: Psalm 119.

The longest chapter of the Bible, featuring 176 verses, Psalm 119 is found in the middle of Scriptures and it focuses on the truth and power of God’s word and His character. The author of this psalm is unknown, but some scholars have suggested that it was written by Ezra, the scribe, after Israel’s return from the Babylonian captivity, and at the time the temple was rebuilt. Others attribute this psalm to King David, or possibly Daniel.

A well-known verse is in the middle of the psalm: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. #MondayDevotional #MondayMotivation #Psalms #Frozen2 @AJC
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The metaphor used in this verse is pregnant with meaning when one understands its context. In Old Testament times, travelers would carry a small oil lamp, the dim light only enough to guide their next step. These types of lamps could not reveal the traveler’s surroundings; therefore, he could not see what was far ahead of him. All he could see was his next step.

What a marvelous picture of the life of faith!

Just as the traveler of old depended on a flicker of light to direct his journey into the darkness, we may sometimes find ourselves unsettled by the uncertainty of the future. It may be that, because we cannot see ahead, we allow confusion to settle to the point of paralyzing us. Or we may find ourselves like princess Ana, curled in a corner as doubts and fear of the future threaten to engulf us.

Just as the traveler of old depended on a flicker of light to direct his journey into the darkness, we may sometimes find ourselves unsettled by the uncertainty of the future. #MondayDevotional #MondayMotivation #Psalms #Frozen2 @AJC
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“I don’t know what to do,” you may think.

If that is you today, consider that God may have you in that position to draw you closer to him. And as he sheds light into your darkness, even if it’s only enough light for one single step, I encourage you to get up, step forward in obedience and trust… and simply do the next right thing.

This article was published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday – January 18, 2020. Click HERE to read on the AJC website.

The post Simply Do the NEXT Right Thing {The Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

For the past several weeks, I have been writing a blog series titled “Six Signs You Are Heading in the Wrong Direction.” This week, read Sign #5  – about the consequences of delayed obedience. If you need to catch up and read the first 4 signs, just follow the links at the end of this post.

Have a blessed week!

Patricia

“Why is this door closed, Lord?”

“What’s my next step?”

“Where are You, Lord? I can’t hear you!”

“My prayers seem to hit the ceiling, and bounce back down.”

If I were to take a survey, I believe we would find out that every Christian has asked these questions or made these statements at some point.

During this series, I have been sharing signs that indicate believers may be heading in the wrong direction, away from God’s best for our lives.

This week, read Sign #5 – Delaying Obedience.

“You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:14

Oh! Do I ever write this article with trembling hands! I too have reaped the consequences of not obeying God’s directives right away. Whether by procrastinating, or simply because I did not want to do it, I have certainly experienced the lack of peace, direction, and, worse of all – God’s silence – no doubt a consequence of delayed obedience.

‘Tomorrow’ is the excuse of the lazy and refuge of the incompetent.” Nolbert Quayle
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Quayle’s words may be harsh, but the principle behind them make me shudder. Truth be told, most of us often can be found guilty of waiting for tomorrow to do that which should be done today. And although procrastination on small tasks may seem inconsequential, the effect in an individual’s life can never be fully evaluated.

That truth receives an even deeper dimension when we procrastinate taking one small step toward obeying something we know God wants us to do.

I believe one of the reasons we fail to obey God promptly on small things is that we don’t usually realize that He has to lay small foundations before revealing to us the big picture of what He has in store for us.

He gives us a simple direction, and waits for our obedience before revealing the next step. In our pride or honest ignorance, we may think that small steps may not be important enough, and that waiting to take them should not affect the outcome of God’s plan for our lives. However, we must remember that God seeks a relationship of trust from us, and therefore the tiniest step of obedience can be used as a key element to unlock our future.

I think about my personal experience, and how I procrastinated to obey God on a seemingly small directive for my life. For years, I lived in a spiritual limbo, caught in the busyness of religion instead of in the fullness of a personal relationship with the Father. I tried to fill my spiritual life with religious routines and check boxes, altogether ignoring some quite simple directions I received from Him. Incapable of seeing the big picture, I deemed safe to procrastinate in taking small steps, often excusing my disobedience: “I will do this when I understand it better.” Or, “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

In the meantime, tomorrow turned into a week, a month, a couple of years.

As I look back and realize the wasted time, I can only conceptualize the difference that prompt obedience would have made. I will never know for sure. And although I am grateful for a God of grace and second chances, I really do not wish to gamble with my destiny anymore.

Life and death may not always be at stake when we delay obedience, but God’s best usually is.
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Today, when He shows me what I need to do, I try my best to take the smallest of steps right away, even though I oftentimes don’t understand it. Because I’ve lived long enough to know that a small step toward God may just be the difference between mediocrity or success, joy or defeat.

I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. Psalm 119:60
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If you would like to read the other messages on this Blog Series, click below to visit each blog post:

Blog Series: Six Signs You Are Heading in the Wrong Direction

Sign # 1 – You have no peace about your decision

Sign # 2 – An Overwhelming Schedule

Sign # 3 – Your Decisions and Actions Contradict Scriptures

Sign # 4 – Dismissing Godly Counsel

The post Sign #5 – Delaying Obedience {Blog Series: Six Signs You Are Heading in the Wrong Direction} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.