“I’ve decided if I had my life to live over again, I would not only climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets. . . . I would not only go barefoot earlier in the spring and stay out later in the fall; but I would devote not one more minute to monitoring my spiritual growth. . . . What would I actually do if I had it to do all over again? . . . I would simply do the next thing in love.”- Brennan Manning, The Furious Longing of God
In Chapter 24 (“Wait with Hope”), the final chapter of The Next Right Thing, Emily P. Freeman reminds us that our times are in the hands of God. For example, we know that it takes brilliant men and women working as teams to rocket astronauts into space and bring them back again. Yet God the Father made space (emphasis Emily’s).
Furthermore, in the midst of life’s busyness and adversity, it’s easy to forget to listen for the Father’s quietest whisper of comfort and presence. Or remember that He’s always with us as we question, cry out, and hope.
In addition, it’s easy to question and normal to doubt during periods of waiting. However, Emily astutely notes, there’s another reality at work. But it’s one we find hard to see without help. It begins with how God moves in the world – that He tilted the earth on its axis. The author explains:
“The tilt made way for long light as well as long darkness. The tilt made way for change. The earth moves, going to some and taking away from others, but then spinning around and giving something back again. When transition comes, can we take small cues from the built-in rhythm of the world?”
Today’s question: Are you more prone to monitoring your spiritual growth or doing the next right thing? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Speed bumps = hard decisions”
