(This is reprinted from January 2020, lightly edited.)

Can there be a day beyond this night? I don’t know any more what is true.  I can’t find my direction, I’m all alone. The only star that guided me was you. How to rise from the floor – when it’s not you I’m rising for? Just do the next right thing. Take a step, step again. It is all that I can do—the next right thing.

One evening during the holidays, Dorothy and I took our grandchildren to see the animated musical, Frozen II. I was surprised by the many issues addressed by the movie, including the intense grief and sorrow in the apparent loss of one character’s older sister. In her pain and confusion, Anna remembers her sister’s words from earlier in the story—if you are ever lost and wonder what you should do, just do the next right thing. This is the moral takeaway from the movie.

Many of the children and teens who saw the original movie when it debuted in 2013 have faced their own personal crises, like family divorce, grief, depression, temptation, and peer pressure. This story gives them a memorable way to find hope in their confusion, and a starting point for making good or even better choices. Right choices matter. Teaching the next generation the difference between right and wrong has always been a challenge. Taking this one step further, the Bible is filled with cautionary stories of those who make wrong choices, and the power of doing the right thing God’s way. 

I won’t look too far ahead. It’s too much for me to take. But break it down to this next breath, this next step. This next choice is one that I can make. So, I’ll walk through this night, stumbling blindly toward the light, and do the next right thing.

Life is filled with small choices each of us make every day. “What would Jesus do?” was a question that we asked ourselves in our younger years. As people of faith, we are challenged to live morally rich lives by modeling trust in God and listening for His voice. 

And, with it done, what comes then? When it’s clear that everything will never be the same again, then I’ll make the choice to hear that voice, and do the next right thing.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Do the next right thing. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Bro. Darryl

Share this webpage: