Next Right Thing

Alright, so, I’m comfortable enough with myself to admit it…I’ve been looking forward to seeing Frozen 2 since I heard it was coming out. However, I didn’t want to be ‘that guy’, so I had to wait until I could watch it with my kids, which I finally did a few weeks ago. And, to be honest, I almost wish I hadn’t waited. I feel like there’s some real neat life truths, even Jesus-truths, in it. And what especially sticks out to me is one of the last songs. It’s called ‘Do the Next Right Thing’. It reminds me of another Disney movie ‘Finding Dory’ where Dory sings ‘Just Keep Swimming’. (Sidenote: I don’t spend all my time watching kid movies…not ALL my time anyway).
And those simple truths are sometimes the very things we forget when life gets hard, challenging or overwhelming. And, I imagine, that right now is probably one of those times we need to remember to just keep swimming or to do the next right thing. And if it takes a crazy Disney princess or an animated Pacific blue tang to help me remember, so be it.
I appreciate any Sunday when someone tells me they got something out of my words. This week, it wasn’t during the sermon but during my prayer afterward where I prayed that we could focus on what we can do rather than what we can’t. And that struck a chord with someone - though someone else noted that they listened the whole time and struggled to find any point (can’t win them all!) But that’s really where I’m at right now, too. As my patience and my weariness of the situation grows, I really want to focus on what I can do and do those things.
But even more than that, I want to do the right things, like Anna sings. The problem with ‘right’ things is that ‘right’ is subjective, right? I mean, we all have a different standard to what is right. Even now, is it ‘right’ to wear a mask? The governor says so, but what about my free choice? Where is the ‘right’ in that?
And, ultimately, we each decide our own right. I mean, really, we all look at our world, our experience, our comforts and we decide our ‘right’. The problem is, when we each have our own right is that we have a very hard time finding common ground. And I don’t want to get too philosophical, but, in the best communities, common ground is essential. And I truly believe that in order to find the greatest common ground, we need to look beyond ourselves, beyond our own ‘right’ and look to someone greater than us, and for me, that’s Jesus.
So when you’re stuck, overwhelmed or stressed, do the next right thing…not defined by you or your mom or even me…but by Jesus. God bless.