Today’s treasure has me not only looking back and looking ahead but also pausing to celebrate a special moment today. It’s book release day for Emily P. Freeman’s The Next Right Thing, and I’d love to share a little more about her new book and her heart with you in hopes that some of her encouragement and grace can be refreshing to you as well.
I can’t remember exactly how I first came across Emily and her writing, but as best as I can recall, it had to do with some combination of Twitter, Ann Voskamp, and (in)courage. What I remember more distinctly is that it seemed like every time I read a post Emily wrote, something inside me resonated and made me feel like I had a kind, gentle soul sister who truly understood me. And she was always saying she wanted to help “create space for [my] soul to breathe,” which would prompt me to pause, exhale deeply, and think, “Yes, this is exactly what I need.”
Now fast forward at least six years…
My life is quite different today than it was then, and I know hers is, too. Emily’s website is no longer called “Chatting at the Sky,” her husband has transitioned jobs with a season of unknowing in between, her kids are growing up and in different life seasons, she has been going “forward” to grad school, and I’m sure there are many other changes she doesn’t make public, too. And goodness knows I’ve had more transition, loss, and change in the last few years than I even want to start listing here.
But even with the passing of years and changes in life seasons, I continue to have the same resonance in my soul when I read Emily’s words. It’s almost like she somehow knows exactly what I’m going through, and she wants to sit down across from me, make space for the stirrings of my heart to come to the surface, and be a kind companion along the journey. So I have loved reading her books and blog posts over the last several years, and when she came out with her Next Right Thing podcast in August of 2017, I subscribed from the start and haven’t missed a single episode. Each week in twenty minutes or less, Emily invites us to slow down, take inventory of our hearts, listen for God’s voice, and grow confidence in discerning our next right thing in love.
Now her podcast has opened the door for The Next Right Thing book, and when the opportunity came to receive an advanced digital copy of it by volunteering for her launch team, I didn’t have to think long to decide that it would be my next right thing. I just finished reading it over the weekend and am grateful for the timely encouragement Emily offers yet again.
Have you ever Googled “how to make a decision” on the internet? Emily has and is very familiar with the power a looming decision can tend to have on our lives. However, she has also found that wrestling with big decisions can make us more likely to lean in closely as we watch and listen for God more intently, too.
Whether we are facing a big decision or just walking through life with the thousands of seemingly small choices we make every day, Emily brings an encouraging perspective to help us process and remember what is most important as we navigate these decisions. She writes,
“I’m learning that the decision itself is rarely the point. The point is becoming more fully ourselves in the presence of God, connecting with him and with each other, and living our lives as though we believe he is good and beautiful.”
And she also asks,
“What if the way we make decisions is equally as important as the decisions we make? What if choice is one of the primary avenues of our spiritual formation?”
The chapters include topics such as looking for arrows instead of just answers, making the “most important” list rather than a traditional pro/con one, becoming a soul minimalist, and learning the spiritual discipline of wearing better pants (because if we want to make space for our souls to breathe, it helps if we can actually breathe).
I also love that Emily ends each chapter with a short prayer and a simple practice to help me connect more deeply with God in each area as I seek to do the next right thing He has for me in love. May this portion of one of her prayers be a blessing to you as a benediction today as well:
“Father, we admit we want answers and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But we can trip ourselves up when we hold clenched fists around our own agendas.
We are looking for a plan, but then you offer us your hand.
May it be enough today.”
Yes and amen.
As always, I’d love to hear from you, too! What comes to your mind when you think of making decisions? Are you decisive or chronically hesitant? What helps you determine your next right step? How has God been leading you lately? Or what treasures has He brought your way? Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
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