EMILY P. FREEMAN: THE NEXT RIGHT THING

Emily P. Freeman is dedicated to helping you create space for your soul to breathe so you can discern your next right thing in love.

Doing the right thing consistently is a tall order and Emily delivers.

The Curious Listener

She calls herself a curious listener. Twelve years ago her listening turned to blogging and thousands of women called her blessed because of the way she helped their souls breathe. The next thing was taking a deep breath before writing a book which became four in no time at all. And some of them are New York Times bestsellers like her latest. She started a podcast about taking classes on life with God.

Emily graduated from Columbia International University where she learned how to study the Bible and from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she received her degree in Educational Interpreting for the Deaf. She’s pursuing her Masters in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership at Friends University.

Ready for some of Emily’s fresh air for your soul?

6 Things To Help You Breathe

 

1. When it comes to creativity and life with God, your pace is your pace and there’s no such thing as behind.

 

I hear this a lot from people who are afraid they’ve somehow missed their calling, missed their chance, or missed what God might have for them. I’ve felt this way too, but what I’ve learned is that God is always with us and as we walk with him into our next ordinary moment, he won’t let us miss the way. He is the way. With him, there’s no such thing as behind.

 

2. Art is what happens when we dare to move toward what makes us come alive.

 

The first thing we know about God is that he created. The first thing we know about us is we are made in his image. The art we have to offer, then, is anything that comes out as a result of us simply being ourselves. That could be a painting or it could be a pie. It could be a kind word spoken or received. I wrote an entire book about our birthright as image-bearers of God in the world. It’s called A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live.

 

3. Celebrating my smallness has basically changed my life.

 

My friend and teacher Steve Lynam said those words to me at a time when I felt painfully out of control: Celebrate your smallness. I was trying to make myself big enough to handle everything and these three words offered relief when I needed it the most.

Celebrating my smallness does not mean hanging my head down low and not saying any words and being quiet all the time. It doesn’t mean hiding out or holding my tongue.

Instead, it means knowing my true home is Jesus and I am not my own point of reference. It means getting all my accolades from my Father, laying down ladders and picking up crosses. It means sitting down on the inside.

 

4. Most of life happens not in brightness or in darkness but in the medium light of a regular day.

 

Combine this one with number 3 and you’ve basically got the gist of my book, Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World.

 

5. “Relentlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” — Dallas Willard

 

Sometimes the things I say a lot are things other people said first. Just because someone else has said it doesn’t mean I can’t say it, too. (That’s another thing I say a lot, but I’ll give you that one as a bonus.)

 

6. Just do the next right thing.

 

In times of confusion, doubt, and foggy transitions that lead to decision fatigue, the best advice I’ve heard or given: just do the next right thing. This one small phrase has been passed down and repeated by countless others before me. It’s been so meaningful in my own life, I decided to start a whole podcast about it: it’s called The Next Right Thing. Each episode is less than 15 minutes long and includes a short reflection, a little prayer, and a simple next right step.

APPLICATION: Emily resides in North Carolina with her sweetheart, John and three kiddos. Please visit Emily at Emily P. Freeman and sign on for her monthly newsletter. She won’t fill your inbox with spam.

---

• Hope grows here.  Stories that inspire people, build faith, and offer lasting purpose.
• We’d love to have you Subscribe to REVwords. We’ll put helpful content into your inbox early Mondays to get your week off to a good start.