Decisions seem to be never-ending, am I right?

For years now I’ve been listening to one of my favorite wordsmiths, Emily P. Freeman, invite podcast listeners to do “the next right thing.” At the time when I heard her first episode, I had an 18 month old and was in grad school and learning how to be a pastor. Decisions loomed around every corner, and every part of me responded to the idea of having “decision fatigue.” I was so overwhelmed by the constant influx of choices to be made, directions to lead, sleeplessness to combat, I just could not find clarity in the cloudiness.

I am a lover of language, words and phrases woven together to stir something inside of me. So when Emily invited me to respond to the invitation to “do the next right thing,” I knew this the help and hope I needed. Doing the next right thing, no matter how small, is a more manageable way of doing life. It sounds like wisdom. And it certainly trumps trying to navigate through the never-ending tangle of my unconscious dreams and fears.

Then, of course, my spirit sang along with Princess Anna as she bravely did the Next Right Thing in Frozen 2. (Which, I am unashamed to admit, is basically my favorite movie ever.)

But even with this rather simple directive, something in me was still struggling to wrap my head around the next right thing.

Doesn’t that imply there is a next wrong thing? What if everything is as binary as I tend to make it? How do I know for sure what the right thing is?

In a video meeting with my Spiritual Director last week, we talked a bit about this concept and she said something that clicked for me. Suddenly I realized I didn’t need to focus so much on the next right thing.

I needed to do the next loving thing.

As someone who is motivated by the love of God this is a moment by moment opportunity to become the love of God for the world.

Maybe the next loving thing is…

taking a nap, being kind to my physical body.

making beaded bracelets with my girls or clipping flowers for the neighbor.

apologizing to my husband for that judgmental look I just threw his way.

Loving like Jesus isn’t some abstract concept. It’s the most physical, literal kind of love. God so loved the world, Love became incarnate. Love put on flesh and made His dwelling among us. Love took naps and snuggled kids and shared meals with friends and argued with pious meanies who’d manipulated their way into power. Love washed feet and cried when friends died.

So maybe you will join me in this becoming the love of God by just simply doing the next loving thing? Let’s pick up the litter on our street after trash day. Let’s wear our masks even though we’re so over it. Let’s speak out against racism. Let’s brush our teeth and get to bed at a decent hour and drink good coffee.