The Next Right Thing: A Book Review
When I first stumbled upon Wall Street Journal bestselling author Emily P. Freeman, it was on her podcast. I saw it linked and shared somewhere that my mum brain can’t recall, and the title of it resonated with me. I was in a space that I’d never been in before, unemployed in the traditional sense of the word and at home with two littles. I finished up my paid ministry role in 2019 knowing that I wouldn’t be returning, so I was at a loss as to the ‘what now’ for my life. I was looking to find my Next Right Thing - I was looking for a new beginning.
If you have ever been in a similar situation, or are currently, you might have found yourself feeling like you were treading water. You aren’t in the places that you have left behind, but you aren’t yet in the places that you thought God was calling you to. There’s a constant back and forth between what was and what is not yet, but all the while you feel like you aren’t really anywhere. If this is you, then Emily’s book is for you.
Though, before you go right out and grab yourself a copy, here’s a small disclaimer - the author of this book does not tell you want to do. She has no quick fix or magic pill that gets you from point A to point B before you can blink. Instead, she gives great tips, practical exercises, encouragement and biblical truths that will help you on your journey to finding your Next Right Thing.
The Next Right Thing “offers a fresh way of practicing familiar but often forgotten advice: simply do the next right thing. This soulful practice will help you clear the decision-making chaos, quiet the fear of choosing wrong and find the courage to finally decide without regret or second-guessing” (jacket cover) and is truly for anyone in any life stage. If this doesn’t sound like a breath of fresh air, then I don’t know what does.
The book itself is broken up into 24 easy to digest chapters. Each begins with a quote and ends with both a prayer and a practice, something to actually do and be challenged with as you work through what you’re reading. While you could in theory sit down and power through several chapters at a time, it might come as a surprise to hear that bingeing this one will mean you’ll miss out on the restful, soulfulness of connecting with God through Emily’s words. Racing ahead won’t help, but pausing in each chapter to highlight or take notes, and to make an effort to participate in the practices she offers is important if you want to get the most out of this experience. She even says at the end of chapter one that the “goal is not to finish an activity. The goal is always union with God.” So take that chapter as an opportunity to breathe, quiet your spirit, and listen.
With that in mind, here are the three things that I have kept with me since reading the book.
Don’t confuse the moment for the whole story (chapter 3, pg 39)
These 8 words have changed how I think about my day-to-day. The chapter of my life that I find God has placed me in the now is simply just that - a chapter. To mistake my current situation or circumstances as all there is doesn’t give God the credit for being an Author of greatly woven stories. He is still at work and my ‘moment’ is just a small part of the greater story.
This is a huge relief when you really think about it, especially if you are suffering from decision fatigue or are seemingly in a state of perpetual waiting. “Remember today is a plot point” Emily says - today is not the final destination, nor is it definitive of the rest of your journey, it is simply...today. This is such a great concept to remember when I am constantly trying to catch up with myself. It’s a daily conscious choice to decide to be where my feet are in the here and now, rather than in the ‘maybes’ and ‘what ifs’ of tomorrow. It’s still being written and that responsibility is not on me. The moment that we find ourselves in right now, whether enjoyable or challenging, will pass and it will be a portion of a much greater story. (Chapters 11 and 12 both focus on this concept of staying in the present.)
2. Create a Life Energy List (chapter 9, pg 97)
Emily admits that she isn’t a huge fan of the name she’s given this important list and that one day, she’ll think up a new one - but for now, she tells us “the most important list to make is one that helps us to intentionally discern our yes and our no before the time comes to make the decision in the first place.” This is where the simple and straightforward Life Energy List comes in. Before you pull out a journal, know that it is different to a pros and cons list. A pros and cons list ultimately says that some things are negative, when in actual fact they may only be negative in relation to your positive things. This can get both confusing and draining when you’re trying to make a decision, so she suggests the Life Energy List either as an alternative or in conjunction with your other determining practices.
This list is only two questions - what was life-draining and what was life-giving? Another way to ask these questions Emily says is to consider “did this activity draw me closer to God or push me further from Him?” Pause on that for just a moment. Have you ever considered your daily, weekly, or monthly activities in light of a question so profound? I hadn’t, which is why I’ve clung to this list. She explains that you take any part of your life - big, small, long, short, whatever - and ask these two questions of it. For example - maybe you’ve spent the last four weeks attending a personal training session and it’s time to decide if you’re going to commit to 5 more months of it. Have these last 4 weeks been life-draining or life-giving for you? Has your time in PT sessions drawn you closer to God, or have they somehow interrupted your time and communion with Him? See how these questions can literally be asked of anything in your life. That’s how great they are. You can take stock of the big and the small things you do and how you spend your time by implementing these two questions.
“Our choices shape our lives, and they shape us. But we remain in God’s hand no matter what.” (chapter 24, pg 243)
There might be some moments in life when we find that we have made a choice that we simply wish we hadn’t. Even after all that prayer, all those lists written out, all those journal entries and all that godly counsel we find we have still ended up in a place we weren’t aiming for. We really shouldn’t have gone on a date with that guy. We really shouldn’t have moved across the country away from family. We really shouldn’t have enrolled in that class. Yes, sometimes we will find ourselves in these spaces of darkness where loneliness and anxiety rear their ugly heads and the outcome of these choices directly affects us, “but we remain in God’s hand no matter what.” And sometimes, it’s simply our motives that are out of whack. We might get to a point in the choices we have made and realize we made them for the wrong reasons, but the choice itself is alright - this is when we get down on our knees and realize “there is still much to learn, (we) are desperately in need of Jesus, and here is where (we) can walk together with Him toward health and wholeness” (pg 242-243).
In this final chapter, Emily ends her prayer with some stunning words that really should be a poster somewhere. She writes “You never promise clarity. But You always give a hopeful vision. And You always promise presence.” So do not be afraid to trust unknown steps to an all-knowing God. There isn’t any decision you could make that would draw you further away from His love for you and this is the ultimate thread throughout Emily’s book - God’s faithful presence in our lives at all times.
If you are someone who struggles with decision-making in general, or maybe you have a big ‘thing’ in your life that you aren’t sure what to do about, be encouraged today to simply do your next right thing. One next right thing will lead to another and then another, and before you know it, you will come out of the valley you might be in. But remember that even in that valley, God is present. God is waiting. God is willing...we need only practice patience and quietness and be open to hearing from Him as we make decisions in our lives, and maybe while we’re doing this we pull out a highlighter and spend time in Emily’s book too.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I'm Hannah - mama to two littles and dipping my toes into my next right thing as I learn to navigate this chapter God has called me to. I generally hover in that space between consciousness and coffee as I try to take each day knowing I need grace to get through it. I'm a lover of good words, strong conversation, a well-worn thrift store and a doughy doughnut.
