Doing the Next Thing

Having just returned from an instense business trip and finding myself feeling a bit more overwhelmed than usual, I am reminded (as I so often am) of Elisabeth Elliot's marvelous advice: "Do the next thing."

Her wise counsel has often helped me through difficult times of suffering as well as stressful times of work. It's easy to allow anxiety to gain entrance into my life, but Elisabeth's sage advice effectively ejects it.

The transcript of the Gateway to Joy broadcast in which Elisabeth tells how she learned the principle from her mother and relates a poem containing the maxim appears here.

I used to enjoy hearing her broadcasts when they were available in our area and a friend and I once drove about 100 miles through a snowstorm to hear her speak. When the audience applauded her remarks, Elisabeth put her hands together and directed them upward to indicate that all the glory belonged to the Lord.

As I read the Gateway to Joy broadcast transcript, I hear the deliberate pace of Elisabeth's gentle voice speak directly to me. And I see her hands raised in prayerful praise to God.