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

by Emily P. Freeman

It doesn’t matter what the specific decision is. Unmade decisions hold power.

Rather than a life plan, a clear vision, or a five-year list of goals, the leper, the paralytic, and Jairus and his wife were given clear instructions by Jesus about what to do next—and only next.

The decision is rarely the point. The point is you becoming more fully yourself in the presence of God.

“Our Western minds are trained to go down the path of explaining. We think if we can understand it, then we can control it.”

It’s true, don’t you think? We are conditioned to believe the only reason we should do things is if we know why, where we are headed, and for what purpose. No wonder we have trouble making decisions. If we don’t have clear answers or sure things, then taking a big step feels like a risk at best and a wasteful mistake at worst. If I understand it, then I can control it.

Decisions shape our lives. But what we often overlook is not only how our choices shape outcomes but how they shape us too. They reveal our character and help to create our character.

Unmade decisions have the power to either close us up in fear or open us up to love. This is both the burden and the gift of our indecision.

If you find that certain practices aren’t leading you closer to God, don’t do them. The goal is not to finish an activity. The goal is always union with God.