And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.
Philippians 1: 9-10
I recently had the privilege of attending a clergy retreat, and to interact with His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta. His Eminence gave an impassioned speech about our walk as Christians and said something so simple, yet so profound. He talked about all the things we are supposed to be doing in our Christian life. And then he posed a challenge to us. He said that every morning when we wake up, we should ask ourselves “What’s next?”
We know that every commandment, everything we do as Christians, is supposed to center around loving God and loving our neighbor. And there are an infinite number of ways to do both. The idea of asking “what’s next?” refers to a challenge to find a new way to express both of these things. What’s next in terms of me serving God today? How can I better serve Him? How can I serve Him with more conviction? How can I strengthen my faith?
In terms of loving our neighbor, “what’s next” can mean Who can I serve today? Who in my circle of friends needs some extra help or encouragement? Who has been forgotten? Will I extend kindness to a stranger? And many other possibilities.
To me, “what’s next” refers to anything that is undone, or hasn’t been done. What have I not finished? What have I not started? What have I been putting off, as far as serving others? What’s next also refers to what is possible on a given day. It is also a statement of optimism, as it embraces the possibilities for success rather than for failure.
I suppose there are many people who wake up with a negative mindset. They lament “what’s next”, meaning “what evil will befall me today?” We know that God is an optimist, because God is love, and love rejoices in what is right. If God were to mark our shortcomings, surely none of us would be able to stand before Him. I’ve heard it said many times that God is not going to ask us what we didn’t do, but what we did with the opportunities He gave us.
It takes hard work to be an optimist. As we get older, there is a tendency to become “jaded” about ourselves, our jobs, our families and our world. A “what’s next” mindset will help keep us positive. I encourage you to write a list of “what’s next” things you want to do—short term goals, and long terms goals. Maybe these include some community service, or an overseas mission trip. Or maybe something more simple, like being a better friend to someone, or putting in more effort with studying.
Ask yourself this question each day about some topic and make a goal each day to further yourself in a positive and optimistic way in at least one area or with one person.
The final comment on “what’s next” has to do with when we feel overwhelmed with work or with tasks. Most of us can’t finish all the tasks we set out to do each day. Many of us have jobs where we never really finish, where there are always things to do. In order to keep from getting overwhelmed with all of it, a “what’s next” mentality can help us focus on the task that is the most urgent, or even just the task we are working on, so we can focus on one thing and not get overwhelmed as we think of ALL the things we need to do.
Lord, thank You for this day and all the possibilities it holds. There are many days when the list of things feels so overwhelming. There are many days when I’m so caught up in what I need to do, that I forget about others and their needs. Help me to focus on “what’s next” today, whether it is the task I’m working on, prioritizing the list of tasks I have and tackling them one at a time, or checking in with my list of goals and seeing what might be worked toward today. Help me also to have space in my mind and my heart so that part of “what’s next” each day revolves around seeing others who I can serve. Amen.
Ask yourself “what’s next” each day and use that mantra to help you focus on the task at hand, short and long term goals, as well as people around you who might need some help today.
