As we close, we've talked about a whole lot of stuff, haven't we? We did. And thank you very much.
Steve, as a counsellor, as someone who has gone through some losses and
has experienced loss, what would you say to the person who is not wanting to
get up today? Without trying to fix them, I would say, "Get up, get up, get up,
get up and good things happen from there," Meaning, that there is a sense of engagement
of participation and you may not feel like it, you know, sometimes we have to behave our way into how
we feel and I would preferably ask them just to get up and we have a saying that
keeps life very very simple, it's NRT- Next Right Thing. If you asked my children right now, if you
put up NRT, they'd get a big smile and they'd go, "Dad," but it's the next, right thing because
sometimes all you can do is the next, right thing and to me, that is one of the most profound
examples of faith, "Lord, I don't know where I'm going to go, I don't know what I'm going to do
but the next right thing seems for me to get up, I don't know what I'm going to do when I get up,
I brush my teeth, I mean whatever. NRT the next, right thing
and to me, that is what we're trying to do in the Fisher family, what we're trying to
do within the ministries of Stonebriar, is to trust this God, to trust Him and just do the next, right
thing and that may be very small or it may be very large like I have to now tell the truth,
that's the next right thing, I have to tell the truth. It's true. It's a big thing. Absolutely, but if
you can break it down to just do the next, right thing, so that's what we would tell them, "What's
the next, right thing for you to do right now?" "Get up."
"Okay, let's do that now. What's the next right.." It's exhausting but I believe that's that pathway. It's more exhausting to look at the whole picture.
I'm gonna take away a little bit of this by adding the next, right thing is to
make your bed. Good point, well said. Cynthia and I have a thing, we've been doing this for years.
When we get up, we make our bed. First of all, you're not as tempted to crawl back in it
when it's all turned up. Well, second you have for the first time in the day, accomplished something
and every time you walk by the bed's made up. When I'm at a hotel, this is the kind of Taipei I am,
the maid comes in and goes, "Someone's been here," I just make my bed. Anyway, by doing that, you have
at least accomplished something. And by the discipline of just pulling up the sheets
and putting up the bedspread, putting the pillows in place and you have stepped into the day and you
remember, "Well, I've gone the next step." It might be brushing their teeth, it might be getting something to
do with her hair, might be fixing breakfast but you've got underway, it's no big deal and yet
It is well, I was gonna say, Patsy Claremont, when I last spoke with her, when she was literally so
frightened and in a place of mental illness, was in her bed and said, "Lord, what do I do?" and she
said, "I kid you not, He said 'get out of your bed and make it." Isn't that interesting. She goes, "But
do I have to make his side too?" That's good. And He said, "Yes." And I said, "did you?" She said, "Yes, I did
I did the next, right thing. I would hope that anyone who is listening to us and they're in
that position of wondering what to do, that's what they would do. Maybe the next thing
is to pick up a phone call in and say, "I need some help," whatever scale, wherever your at,
I would pray that they would be encouraged, that they would find hope in just realizing the next,
right. Sometimes it's the little step. It's not a giant step. It's not going from here to a 26-mile
marathon. You're making the bed, you're making the next step, you're putting on
something that might look halfway decent, you're taking on the day, whatever it may
mean and you try your best not to set a goal that's way out of reach, just get the kids
lunches, just get them to school or whatever it may be. It's amazing what that does to you.