"Sometimes life is so hard you can only do the next thing. Whatever that it, just do the next thing. God will meet you there." -Elisabeth Elliot
I love Elisabeth Elliot's gentle wisdom. She knew sweet love. great loss, big adventures, and God's faithfulness.
Some seasons in life are celebrations and others are filled with trial after trial. Typically, life is a mixed bag. On the hardest days, her advice is just do the next thing.
When her husband died on the mission field, their daughter, Valerie, was 10 months old. Babies need to be fed and diapered. I imagine there were days and weeks when she only had energy for "the next thing."
She made the decision to stay in Ecuador on the mission field with Valerie after Jim's death. She worked with the Quichua tribe and later lived with the Auca (Waodani) people, who had killed her husband, and fellow missionaries Nate, Ed, Pete, and Roger. In time, she would live with the very same people who speared her husband to death and her children would call one of them "Grandfather."
She did "the next thing" that eventually led to hope and healing. God met her there. In her tears, exhaustion, and questions... God met her there. When she regrouped and made bold decisions to continue the work... God met her there. But first, in the moments of deepest sorrow and unknowns, she did not have to look for God. She did the next thing, and God met her there.
Today, I am grateful for "the next thing."
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