“Our hard decisions become our speed bumps, and thank God for that. Decisions are his way of saying I love you. . . . 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 remember that though we may have to wait and see, we never have to wait to be.”- Emily P. Freeman (emphasis author’s)
Emily P. Freeman concludes Chapter 24 of The Next Right Thing as she exhorts us to always turn to the bright light of God’s presence as we look out through the dim light of the world. And as we search for bright patches of light in our lives, we allow the light to do what it does best. Light warms, fills, and lifts.
However, even as we embrace the light, we must remember the gift of darkness. Darkness covers, protects, and enables us to grow. For example, a newborn baby emerges from nine months of darkness in the womb. Thus, for the baby, darkness speaks of safety. She’ll adjust her eyes to the light in her own time and in her own way.
Finally, Emily observes, often our next right thing consists of waiting. Because we need time to clear the clutter and create space for the soul to breathe. In addition, the author asserts, our world isn’t black-and-white. As a result, decisions rarely are right or wrong. Most noteworthy, Emily explains what really matters:
“”What matters is God is with you. Sometimes I wonder if the reason he seems to move so slowly within and around us is because he knows we need time to let our blacks and whites move toward a more layered gradient of gray. When we live our lives quick, hurried, and twisted, we are prone to linear categorization. But that’s the way of robots, not humans.”
Although God never promises clarity, He always gives you a hopeful vision and promises His presence.
Today’s question: How have hard decisions functioned as speed bumps in your life? Please share.
Coming Monday: the annotated bibliography of The Next Right Thing
Tomorrow’s blog: “The love Christ Jesus gave”
