The Next Right Thing

I was reading the account today of a horrific plane crash in which an airliner, flying at night, smashed into a mountain peak. As the author described the incidents leading up to the accident, determined by investigations afterward, he emphasized that first one little thing went wrong, then another and another, one little mistake followed another, until finally the terrible outcome was inevitable.

What is true of so many tragedies is true also of occasions where we see God's marvelous Providence. We are not faced on an everyday basis with life-changing decisions, but every single day we do encounter little choices and we act in little ways that, if considered all by themselves, are pretty insignificant. But just as surely as a series of small things led to an air disaster, a series of small things can culminate in an amazing positive change in our lives.

Sometimes we are faced with what seems like an impossible situation, or a decision we simply cannot make, or a tangled relationship that overwhelms us. Our dilemma may not call for some huge action or decision undertaken all at once. Many times, perhaps most of the time, we will find our way if we just do the next right thing, even that little thing. The Scripture does not promise us that "The leaps of a good man/woman are ordered by the Lord." Instead, we are assured that the Lord guides our steps, those little decisions and actions taken one at a time.

Just do the next right thing.

MaryMartha

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/