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This weekend, Pastor Dave took a deep-dive look at the story of Joseph: a boy who had larger-than-life dreams who grew into a young man in the hands of tremendous injustice who grew into a man refined by the fire and positioned to save a nation. 

God has hard-wired you with a deep desire for purpose. He’s put dreams into your head and heart for how He is inviting you to join His work of restoring all things. But those dreams will not come cheap or free—they often won’t come quickly either. Like Joseph, you probably know what it feels like to come up against significant obstacles and delays, heartache and heartbreaks, discouragement and disillusionment. There have probably been moments, days, and weeks when you have wanted to give up and throw in the towel—moments you have felt so stuck and at a loss of what to do next that it’s almost paralyzing. 

So, what do you do when you’ve reached that roadblock? What do you do when you feel at a loss for what to do now? 

The very next right thing. 

It’s simple, but it can be far from easy. But like Joseph, faithful resolve to the very next right thing eventually leads to breakthroughs and monumental significance. Our minds, our character, and our faith are defined and shaped in the most mundane moments of simply doing the very next right thing…against emotions, logic, or cynicism. 

I can be a hot mess of emotional decision-making (can I get a witness?). If I’m in a bad mood, if I feel discouraged or defeated, I can easily fall victim to quitting because of bad belief systems, poor self-talk, or otherwise. When I don’t know what to do, when I’ve lost vision for the moment, the day, or the season of life; when I’ve lost vision, or feel discouraged by the dream I have, what is the very next right thing?

It’s advice I was given years ago, and I have never regretted following it, but I’ve often regretted ignoring it.

Sometimes we use the phrase “don’t just go through the motions.” I agree with the sentiment: we don’t want to coast through life going through motions, or being disconnected from whole-hearted passion. But there are times when going through the motions is exactly what we need to do. Our emotions are terrible roadmaps. Our hearts and feelings can so quickly deceive us and we convince ourselves to do what our hearts tell us to do when wisdom says to choose—not feel—the next right thing. 

We don’t have to know every step. We don’t have to give up. We simply need to show up and choose the next words, the next attitudes, the next actions that are right, and then after that take the next right step, and so forth.

What are the dreams God has given you for your life? 

Where are you discouraged? 

In what ways can you imagine God is shaping your faith and character through this season of your life? 

Keeping in mind that nothing is too small or inconsequential, what is the next right step to take today?