NRT (9) decision-making
.
the NEXT RIGHT THING:
Emily P. Freeman
23. Expect to Be Surprised
'Glory showed up on the other side of the glass
in ways I couldn't possibly explain or expect.'
◘ .... It’s about my continual insistence that I am in control of my own life. It’s about the endless pressure I put on myself to make the right choice, the best choice, at the right time. I forget or maybe never truly believe how often the best things that happen are, in fact, kind gifts that have nothing to do with me. My obsession with clarity and the quick fix blinds me to all the miraculous ways Jesus works in small surprises in the midst of the long haul - through people, through connection, through his Body, the Church.
We make our decisions and choose our next steps, but we get scared when we can’t see the future. What if we chose to finally believe that our steps are leading somewhere good? What if we see God in the yes we say even though we feel scared? ... in a random phone call, a kind invitation, a gentle nod, a hand outstretched?
If we continue to insist on holding on to control, we just might miss the story happening on the other side of the window. If he says He will do far more abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think, then whom am I to stop before He gets there?
As we make plans, fill out lists, and do the things that need doing, may we remember still to remain open to surprise. Instead of insisting on clear plans, may we be willing to settle in and take the next right step even though it may lead someplace we didn’t quite pack for. May we stop insisting that everything have an explanation. [232]
Psalm 139: 8 - 10
Practice: Take some time to look out of the window.
When was the last time you felt surprised by God?
◘◘ podcast
24. Wait with Hope
"a spark of hope and gratitude. /
Because our times are in the hands of God."
◘◘ podcast
◘ He is our good and present God, intimately acquainted with us, our ways, our brilliance, our longings, our terror, and all of our ideas. Political coverage is relentless and loud. It’s easy to forget to listen for the quietest whisper of comfort and presence from our Father who is with us in the midst of every question, every outcry, and every hope. [238]
◘ The kingdom of God is here, in the midst of this lifestage, in the midst of the season, in the midst of this moment right now. There may be parts of your life where you feel like you’re burying seeds again. You’re holding an idea, relationship, a loss, or a dream in the form of a seed, and you're daring to believe it will grow. ...
... In the waiting, it’s easy to question & normal to doubt. But there is another reality at work, one we can’t always see without help. It starts with how God moves in the world. If God made the world straight up and down, we would have no seasons or change, just the sun shining straight at the equator all year 'round. Instead, he chose to tilt it on its axis, making a way for strawberries, red leaves, quiet snow, raging hurricanes, spring showers, and sunflowers something high in salute. The tilt made way for long light as well as long darkness. The tilt made way for change. ...When transition comes, can we take small cues from the built-in rhythm of the world?
... Looking out through the dim light of the world, may we continue to turn to the bright light of his presence within us.
Am I allowing like to do what light does best - to warm, fill, and lift?
Am I allowing darkness to do what the darkness just best - cover, protect, and grow? (Psalm 139:12) [241]
◘ We want to make good decisions, but the decision is rarely the point. We want to live a good life with a good and beautiful God. Doesn’t it all comes down to trust? We fear we will pick wrong, turn wrong, move too soon or not soon enough. We fear we will be out of God's will, miss his blessing, and miss our way. We fear our motives, our perception, and our place in the world.
Our decisions hang unmade around us, tiny dares waiting to call forth perfect action. They whisper possibility in the ear of the chronically hesitant among us, and we sit waiting for an answer that never comes. [242]
◘ Our next right thing will often be to wait. Give time to allow the clutter to clear. Create space for your soul to breathe. Make a room for your desire to show up at the table. Begin to name the mundane things.
Wait. Listen. Repeat.
... It doesn’t always matter which road you choose. What matters is God is with you. ... Our hard decisions become a speed bumps, and thank God for that. Decisions are his way of saying I love you. It started with the garden when he gave Adam and Eve every tree except one because he wanted them to be free. Our choices shape our lives, and they shape us. But we remain in God’s hand no matter what.
◘ Let’s begin to trust ourselves as we walk with our friend Jesus.
Let’s embrace the courage to choose what’s best and the faith to come back when we choose what isn’t.
Let’s refuse to carry shame for a lack of clarity but allow our questions to linger if they need to as we wait for seeds to grow.
Let’s remember that though we may have to wait and see, we never have to wait to be.
Let’s bring our unknowing into the kind presence of God.
Let’s continue to create space for our soul, to name the unknown things within us, and to do our next right thing in love. [244]
'You never promised clarity,'
You told Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household, but you didn’t tell him exactly where he was going.
You told Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, but You didn’t give him a five-week plan.
You told Mary she would have a Son and call His name Jesus, but she wasn’t offered assurance of His safety or guarantees that her life would go smoothly.
You are not a God who offers clear steps.
But you invited Abraham outside and told him to look up at the stars, 'so shall your offspring be'.
You gave Moses a vision of a Promised Land flowing with milk and honey.
You whispered salvation for the whole world in Mary’s ear.
You never promised clarity. But You always gave a hopeful vision. And You always promise presence.
I will go with you wherever you go.
Do not be afraid.
The Next Right Thing
Mrs George A. Paull //
Eleanor Amerman Sutphen,
Ye Nexte Thynge, 1897
. . . Previous chapters 20, 21 & 22
the NEXT RIGHT THING:
Emily P. Freeman
23. Expect to Be Surprised
'Glory showed up on the other side of the glass
in ways I couldn't possibly explain or expect.'
◘ .... It’s about my continual insistence that I am in control of my own life. It’s about the endless pressure I put on myself to make the right choice, the best choice, at the right time. I forget or maybe never truly believe how often the best things that happen are, in fact, kind gifts that have nothing to do with me. My obsession with clarity and the quick fix blinds me to all the miraculous ways Jesus works in small surprises in the midst of the long haul - through people, through connection, through his Body, the Church.
We make our decisions and choose our next steps, but we get scared when we can’t see the future. What if we chose to finally believe that our steps are leading somewhere good? What if we see God in the yes we say even though we feel scared? ... in a random phone call, a kind invitation, a gentle nod, a hand outstretched?
If we continue to insist on holding on to control, we just might miss the story happening on the other side of the window. If he says He will do far more abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think, then whom am I to stop before He gets there?
As we make plans, fill out lists, and do the things that need doing, may we remember still to remain open to surprise. Instead of insisting on clear plans, may we be willing to settle in and take the next right step even though it may lead someplace we didn’t quite pack for. May we stop insisting that everything have an explanation. [232]
Psalm 139: 8 - 10
Practice: Take some time to look out of the window.
When was the last time you felt surprised by God?
◘◘ podcast
24. Wait with Hope
"a spark of hope and gratitude. /
Because our times are in the hands of God."
◘◘ podcast
◘ He is our good and present God, intimately acquainted with us, our ways, our brilliance, our longings, our terror, and all of our ideas. Political coverage is relentless and loud. It’s easy to forget to listen for the quietest whisper of comfort and presence from our Father who is with us in the midst of every question, every outcry, and every hope. [238]
◘ The kingdom of God is here, in the midst of this lifestage, in the midst of the season, in the midst of this moment right now. There may be parts of your life where you feel like you’re burying seeds again. You’re holding an idea, relationship, a loss, or a dream in the form of a seed, and you're daring to believe it will grow. ...
... In the waiting, it’s easy to question & normal to doubt. But there is another reality at work, one we can’t always see without help. It starts with how God moves in the world. If God made the world straight up and down, we would have no seasons or change, just the sun shining straight at the equator all year 'round. Instead, he chose to tilt it on its axis, making a way for strawberries, red leaves, quiet snow, raging hurricanes, spring showers, and sunflowers something high in salute. The tilt made way for long light as well as long darkness. The tilt made way for change. ...When transition comes, can we take small cues from the built-in rhythm of the world?
... Looking out through the dim light of the world, may we continue to turn to the bright light of his presence within us.
Am I allowing like to do what light does best - to warm, fill, and lift?
Am I allowing darkness to do what the darkness just best - cover, protect, and grow? (Psalm 139:12) [241]
◘ We want to make good decisions, but the decision is rarely the point. We want to live a good life with a good and beautiful God. Doesn’t it all comes down to trust? We fear we will pick wrong, turn wrong, move too soon or not soon enough. We fear we will be out of God's will, miss his blessing, and miss our way. We fear our motives, our perception, and our place in the world.
Our decisions hang unmade around us, tiny dares waiting to call forth perfect action. They whisper possibility in the ear of the chronically hesitant among us, and we sit waiting for an answer that never comes. [242]
◘ Our next right thing will often be to wait. Give time to allow the clutter to clear. Create space for your soul to breathe. Make a room for your desire to show up at the table. Begin to name the mundane things.
Wait. Listen. Repeat.
... It doesn’t always matter which road you choose. What matters is God is with you. ... Our hard decisions become a speed bumps, and thank God for that. Decisions are his way of saying I love you. It started with the garden when he gave Adam and Eve every tree except one because he wanted them to be free. Our choices shape our lives, and they shape us. But we remain in God’s hand no matter what.
◘ Let’s begin to trust ourselves as we walk with our friend Jesus.
Let’s embrace the courage to choose what’s best and the faith to come back when we choose what isn’t.
Let’s refuse to carry shame for a lack of clarity but allow our questions to linger if they need to as we wait for seeds to grow.
Let’s remember that though we may have to wait and see, we never have to wait to be.
Let’s bring our unknowing into the kind presence of God.
Let’s continue to create space for our soul, to name the unknown things within us, and to do our next right thing in love. [244]
'You never promised clarity,'
You told Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household, but you didn’t tell him exactly where he was going.
You told Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, but You didn’t give him a five-week plan.
You told Mary she would have a Son and call His name Jesus, but she wasn’t offered assurance of His safety or guarantees that her life would go smoothly.
You are not a God who offers clear steps.
But you invited Abraham outside and told him to look up at the stars, 'so shall your offspring be'.
You gave Moses a vision of a Promised Land flowing with milk and honey.
You whispered salvation for the whole world in Mary’s ear.
You never promised clarity. But You always gave a hopeful vision. And You always promise presence.
I will go with you wherever you go.
Do not be afraid.
The Next Right Thing
Mrs George A. Paull //
Eleanor Amerman Sutphen,
Ye Nexte Thynge, 1897
. . . Previous chapters 20, 21 & 22