For the first time in ten years, I didn’t have a back to school night this year. I didn’t label folders or make a new clip chart or mix up jitter-glitter for my littles to put under their pillows the night before school starts. I don’t have a classroom of littles waiting for me every morning this fall, and while that is bitter sweet for me, there’s an emphasis on the sweet in this season.
I spent the summer digging holes at the beach with Kaylee, chalk painting the front sidewalk with Charles, rocking Emery to sleep, visiting my 50th state (North Dakota), and spending time with all the friends and family I possibly could!
It’s been a whirlwind of change and waiting (how waiting can feel like a whirlwind is beyond me, but it definitely can) to find out what my role with Mercy Ships is going to look like in this season as dates for everything seem to be in constant flux. As the summer has drawn to a close I have continued traveling to visit my people, but I'm also doing what I can to be a help to Mercy Ships Academy in this season, which so far has looked like being a part of an informational webinar, speaking to an online school faculty about opportunities with the Academy, as well as writing blog posts and social media posts for the Academy.
I found out this morning that yet another plan that I had for this already confusing season has been changed/cancelled. I keep thinking, "oh THIS is why God has me where I am in this season...to do THIS" and then "this" gets cancelled and I'm back to questioning and confusion. As I thought and prayed about that today, you know what came to mind?
A scripture?
A parable?
A worship song you might wonder?
Nope. A disney song, of course.
In the spring, when I decided to commit to going to the new ship, the Global Mercy, I wrote about how "Into the Unknown" was going to be the anthem for this year. How true that would become when a month later we were thrown headlong into the chaos of leaving our host country due to covid and quarantining onboard for 81 days (for me...some people are still onboard today who have not been able to leave our dock space for over 200 days).
Well I think the anthem/theme of this year is now transitioning through the Frozen 2 soundtrack because the song that came to mind today as I thought and prayed about this season was "The Next Right Thing." If you haven't heard it, go listen. Right now. I'll wait...............good? Good! So, this song delves deep and dark, and I don't feel that hope is gone like Anna does (this is actually a particularly lovely season of rest for me despite the confusion), but the end of the song is a kicker. It says,
"I won't look too far ahead
It's too much for me to take
But break it down to this next breath, this next step
This next choice is one that I can make
So I'll walk through this night
Stumbling blindly toward the light
And do the next right thing
And, with it done, what comes then?
When it's clear that everything will never be the same again
Then I'll make the choice to hear that voice
And do the next right thing"
I want that. Today I want to make the choice to hear HIS voice and do the next right thing.
