The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions

by Emily P. Freeman

A PRACTICE: NAME THE NARRATIVE Here are questions that could help the unnamed realities rise up to the surface today: Is there a hurt you haven’t quite let go? A regret that’s been following you for so long you think it’s normal? An excitement you haven’t given yourself permission to explore? A dream that might be hanging out in the wings, kicking at rocks or standing on tiptoe? Did one of your children just start kindergarten or go off to college? Did you or your spouse start a new job? Is there someone in your family with a recent diagnosis? Is a friend celebrating a success you wish was yours? Whatever your plot points are, name them for what they are—disappointment, grief, fear, excitement, envy, desire, exhaustion, or hope. Be willing to listen, even if you’re afraid you won’t like what you hear. Be assured you will never be listening alone. Remember not to force definitions but to carry these names into the presence of Jesus, in whose Name we find our hope.