The Ultimate Secret to Doing What Needs to be Done

Last Updated on November 27, 2024 by Andrea

Dad Says, “The Hard Thing is the Right Thing”

Knowing when to take action can be tough. My dad always said that when making a decision or in the midst of a problem, “the hard thing is generally the right thing to do.” My life experience has born this out more times than I can count. Much of the time, the thing we need to do is right in front of us, but we are often too scared to take the leap.

A few months ago I witnessed an injustice in my direct circle of life. I prayed and stewed and prayed and stewed. I knew what I had to do. But it was so hard. I do not like confrontation at all. And in most cases once I pray about a situation I find God is changing me, not calling me to change others. However, I also believe it’s important to demonstrate successful communication and this was an example of a time I could live what I teach.

How to take action about injustice?

I knew I could not let the injustice stand. So I prayed, took several deep breaths, and made the phone call to take action.

The person did not respond well. (I’m sure you could have predicted that.) I tried to explain the concern I had, but the person was too angry about being confronted to really hear my message at that time.

At the end of the day, however, I knew that the hard thing was the right thing to do at that time. I’m prayerful that the person will ponder my words over time and maybe make a change. Either way, though, I did what I knew I had to do. Even though I didn’t want to.

In the couple of days in between witnessing the injustice and taking action to call it out, I prayed a lot. I knew what to do, so I’m not sure what I expected of God. His answer was the same as it always is – injustice isn’t right. We are all made in His image. Why did I spend the days praying when I knew the right thing to do? Honestly, I did that because I didn’t WANT to do what needed to be done.

Joshua Had a Decision Too

A similar experience happened to Joshua in the Old Testament. (Verses: Joshua 7:10-12)

Moses recently died and Joshua was in charge. God led them to victory over Jericho in a most unique way (Joshua 6 if you want to read about it). It was time to turn their attention to Ai. God told them to attack and destroy everything – leave nothing alive and take no treasure. Joshua sent a team right from Jericho to Ai. They knew God told them they would win, so they were confident it would end in their favor. But then it didn’t. They lost. The remaining army dragged themselves home to report the loss.

Joshua tore his clothes and fell in his face in grief. He called out to God asking why He brought them to this place of loss and devastation. He mourned the loss and was overwhelmed by discouragement.

God’s response is my favorite.

He tells Joshua, “Get up off your face!” He then explains to Joshua that He upheld his end of the bargain. One of the Israelites sinned and caused this devastation.

Why Did God Tell Joshua to Get Up?

There are a couple of things going on here. I’m going to focus on one of them for today.

Joshua had been Moses’s right hand man – his action man. He watched Moses lead the grumbling group of guys and gals for decades. He heard them complain and blame God every time something didn’t go their way. So I find it funny that was HIS first response here.

I would argue, though, that Joshua knew in his heart that it wasn’t GOD’S fault the whole thing went wrong. He knew the action to take – he needed to confront his army and find out what went wrong. Joshua needed to confront the issue.

So, Joshua finally got up, dusted himself off, and went clan by clan to find the perpetrator. Turns out someone stole treasure and hid it in his tent. They took care of the situation and went on to successfully take over the town of Ai.

Now It’s Our Turn To Take Action

So often, we know what we need to do. And, as my dad always says, it’s often the hardest of the options. Yet we do what Joshua did. We pray and stew and pray and stew instead of taking action. We ask for direction and we wail, “Why, God?” while bemoaning our predicament.

It’s time like this that I hear God whisper, “Andrea, get up off your face and do what needs to be done!” So while it’s difficult to do what needs to be done sometimes, I love knowing I’m in good company with Bible greats like Joshua.

What Does This Look Like in Our Lives?

The first step is to pray. Of course we start with God. But if we KNOW the right thing to do, if we know the next step, our mental health will be fed when we do what we need to do. Each individual task takes us closer to a desired outcome. But while God does tell us to pray without ceasing, there comes a time to stop praying and take action (obey).

The next step is to break down the task into smaller steps. Begin with baby steps. The easiest way to begin is with something small. I try to do the most difficult of the small tasks first so I get it over with. Like Joshua, I know God calls me to do what needs to be done.

Next, evaluate your own path and goals. What do you want to accomplish? What path is God calling you to? What steps do you need to take to get there? Having direction is a great way to get started.

Then work your way through each task that needs to be completed and check them off as your’e done. At any given moment you can see your progress. Being productive means we’re working, not necessarily that our entire list is checked off. The best results come from steady, even work. Remember the turtle? 🐢 Slow and steady wins the race.

Why Do People Avoid Doing What Needs to be Done?

There are umpteen reasons people avoid doing what needs to be done. Some people are lazy (sorry but it’s true). Others are procrastinators by nature. Still others get overwhelmed by the number of tasks. Having the right energy levels is a problem for some people. A lot of people are simply stuck in a rut and don’t know how to break free of it. There are better ways to get started then waiting for the right moment to hit. For many of us, WE are the biggest obstacle to success.

The most important thing is to get right with God first. Seek His will for you. The Bible is filled with answers to “What does God want from me?” Not sure how to know what He wants from you? Pray and read your Bible. My favorite Old Testament books are Ruth and Esther (both are good examples of doing what needs to be done). My favorite New Testament book is Philippians (good for life direction). My favorite Gospel is Luke (he’s so down to Earth). Pick one and get reading. While you read ask yourself what God would have you learn from it.

What if There Are No Dreaded Tasks?

Some people (or during some seasons) there are no difficult, dreaded tasks. The getting started is the difficulty. Some people just have a hard time starting, even if the tasks are fun or easy.

In this case, the advice is the same…get up off your face and do it. Do what needs to be done. Call in your team members and assign tasks. Update your daily routine to include tasks that need completing.

We are the best version of ourselves when we are doing what God wants us to do. Today do what needs to be done. Then the same thing tomorrow. And the next day. Do this every single day. For some of us, designating a specific time for a specific task is a powerful way to do what needs to be done. For others it’s best to do the most important tasks each day. If you are struggling with getting started, try a routine and try the essentials. See what works best for you in the long term.

In Closing…

For many of us our to-do list is longer than we’d like. It’s tempting to just do the easy tasks and forget about (or delay) the difficult ones. But the best way to handle difficult tasks is to just embrace them and tackle them head on. Set a time block, make the phone calls, take small steps, eliminate the biggest obstacle. At the end of the day, we’ll be glad we did what we needed to do.

When has God told you to get up and DO what you know needs to be done? Tell us in the comments!

Peace,

🌸 Andrea

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