14 “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. 2 My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? 3 When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too. 4 You know the way to the place I’m going.”
Reflection
Have you seen Frozen II? When it first came out, I turned my nose up because Frozen was good, I guess, but it got too popular. I wasn’t about to be sucked into some Frozen Frenzy and waste my time on a dumb sequel. Well, that was silly because, honestly, Frozen II is a better movie all around. Better music, better jokes, and better lessons. Specifically, the repetition of when you don’t know what else to do, you do “the next right thing.”
I think all of us have had seasons in our lives that leave us feeling lost. Maybe you had a plan that got thrown out the window by an unexpected turn of events. I feel like grief, specifically the loss of a loved one, is particularly devastating. Grief can creep in slowly or come crashing down on you. Either way, it usually knocks you down, then pins you to the ground and sits on your chest, squeezing the air out of your lungs as you flail helplessly. You were so focused on getting air into your lungs, you didn’t notice that somehow grief turned off all the lights. You finally shove the weight off your ribcage, and you can breathe again, but you have no idea where you are or where to go next.
In Frozen II, Anna finds herself alone and stuck in a dark cave and grieving her life that is irrevocably changed. Following the advice of the grandfather troll, “When one can see no future, all one can do is the next right thing.” She stands, she takes a step, she focuses on one small decision at a time because looking at the big picture, looking too far ahead, is just too much to handle.
This sentiment echoes that of the disciples as they face the departure of Jesus. “You know the way to the place I am going.” Yea, Okay, we know, but also like how can we think about everlasting life after this one when really we’re just struggling to survive this one. Just smaller decisions and smaller steps, just do the next right thing. Take a breath, stand up, and one step at a time, walk toward the light. Be kind to your neighbor, take care of the less fortunate, protect the weak, and feed the hungry (including yourself). You don’t need to know the grand plan to do the next right thing.
by Ashley Bowler
For Pondering and Prayer
Do you feel lost? Is the grand plan overwhelming and just too much to comprehend right now? That’s okay, it will be there later. There will always be room for you in God’s house. Right now … what’s the next right thing for you? drinking water? Taking a shower? Making a phone call? Paying a bill? Dropping off that bag of clothes you’ve been meaning to donate for a month now?
Is there anyone in your life right now who is lost? How can you help them see the next right thing? How can you support them as they stumble their way toward the light?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, losing You is scary. Losing any loved one or losing track of whatever plan we had is scary. Even though we know how this story goes, sometimes we open our eyes to find ourselves stuck in a dark cave. Life is unpredictable, and plans go awry. As we face darkness, remind us that we will be okay, just do the next right thing. Amen.
