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Years ago a friend of mine passed on some advice that she had received from a friend of hers – instead of worrying about figuring about the big picture, just do the next right thing. If there was a scale for deep thoughts, I’m not sure this would even register, but it has had a profound impact on my life regardless.

You see, I’m a worrier. And like a lot of things, practice has made perfect, and I can worry about pretty much anything if I wanted to. To illustrate this, I like to tell people that I got tension headaches in elementary school. What had me so stressed out at 10 years old, I’ll never know, but for whatever reason, I have a propensity to look at a situation, figure out what could go wrong, and then take it upon myself to think that there’s something I can do to fix it. It took a while for me to realize that not only was this harmful to my health, it was sinful too (Phil. 4:6). So as the years have gone by,  God’s been gracious to help me let go of my worry – to keep things in the eternal perspective of Heaven rather than the temporal nature of this Earth.  But that doesn’t mean that I don’t let it come roaring back sometimes. And in the weirdest of all twists, it’s the little things in life, those insignificant moments of having too much to handle, that cause the most concern.

I write this on a day where my husband woke up sick, the dogs wouldn’t behave, the work was longer than the day, my obligations at church cry loud, and I have laundry and chores to do, and I remember again, that what I have to focus on is just doing the next right thing. I can only do one thing at a time and God doesn’t call me to do anything that without His power, I’m incapable of doing. If there are things I must accomplish today, He will give me the time to do them. If there are situations I must handle, He will provide the solutions. This isn’t an excuse to not work hard, but it does mean that I don’t have to worry. I know that He will direct me to do those things that most honor Him; my job is to focus my eyes on Him, not on all that distracts me.

And so I write this blog. Because in the midst of all the craziness, this was the next right thing.

What’s the next right thing God’s asking of you?

When I was in high school, a classmate told me I should work at Disneyland. This came as a surprise because I’m an introvert, I don’t like crowds, and the neutral, inauspicious clothes I wear stand in start contrast to the flamboyance of the world of Disney’s outfits.  When pressed further, the friend revealed it was because I seemed to always be happy. Now, close friends and family members would be able to tell you that this isn’t a completely accurate characterization, but given the choice of looking at things from a positive or negative light, I do try to go for the brighter one. More recently, some co-workers have also noted this trait and have started calling me the “eternal optimist.” And while I tend to think that when it comes down to it, I’m pretty realistic, in a way they are right. I’m an eternally optimistic, because I happily know where I’ll spend eternity.

It works like this, when you’re watching a movie and you already know that in the end things turn out well, you don’t worry as much about the bumps and bruises along the way. The characters may seem headed for certain doom, their lives may be utterly disrupted, but you know that they end up restored, and so you ride the waves of distress with less concern than those who are unsure of their future. Similarly, when you are confident about the fact that the worse life has to offer, very death itself, means that you will enter the presence of your Heavenly King (Phil. 1:21), you are not as worried about what happens until you get there. Is there pain in this life, yes. In fact, God promises it (John 16:33). However, when compared to the future glory that await those who follow Christ, it seems insignificant.

When you weigh this world in terms of eternity, every believer should be optimistic.