One Step At A Time (Just Do The Next Thing)
There are times in motherhood and homemaking when we don’t know what to do next. Not because of a crisis, but because of the weight of the everyday. The cooking, the cleaning, the needy child, the self-care, the volunteer commitments. We wonder what we should focus on this season, this week, this day, this moment….when so many different things need to be done and are vying for our attention.
Influential Christian author and speaker Elisabeth Elliot had an answer for that question— Do the next thing.
What Did Elisabeth Elliot Mean by “Do the Next Thing”?
This simple phrase is a way of walking in trust and obedience. It means:
Trusting God to give us everything we need to do what he’s calling us to do next (Phillippians 2:13)
Refusing to be paralyzed by fear, anxiety or overwhelm
Accepting our current duties and lot as part of God’s will
Honoring our human need for rest and spiritual rejuvenation, which even Jesus did when He was on earth
Trusting God will give us the grace to do what He’s calling us to do, but not necessarily everything we want to do or think we should do:
"I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me—to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace."
— Philippians 4:13 AMP
Where Did the Phrase “Do the Next Thing” Come From?
Elisabeth didn’t coin the phrase herself. She found it in an old Saxon poem.
Here is the full version of the poem:
From an old English parsonage, down by the sea,
There came in the twilight a message to me;
Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
Hath, as it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.
And on through the doors of the past again,
I read, as I had read, so many times before:
"Do the next thing."Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, and guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrows, child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus, do the next thing.Do it immediately; do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing,
Leave all resultings, do the next thing.
Biblical Examples of Doing the Next Thing
This concept is profoundly biblical. God often has led His people one step at a time:
Abraham was told to go, without knowing the destination
Moses was commanded to stretch out his hand, before knowing that sea would part
The widow at Zarephath was asked to make a small cake for Elijah not knowing if she’d have enough left for herself—and God miraculously sustained her
The disciples were invited to lay down their work follow Jesus without knowing where they were going or what they’d be doing (Matthew 4:19)
Philip was told to go to the desert road. Then: approach the chariot. Then: explain the Scriptures.
Paul was prevented by the Spirit from preaching in Asia. Then, through a vision, God revealed the next step—go to Macedonia. Paul moved forward as doors opened and closed.
In each story, God revealed His will not through a long to-do-list, but through the next step of faith and obedience. Obedience to the first step unlocked the next. The Spirit leads through Scripture, prayer, promptings, and circumstances—but often without full clarity.
How This Applies to Motherhood and Homemaking
The next thing God is asking us to do might surprise us. It might be:
Setting aside the housework to attend to a child
Starting with tidying just one room in a house that is a complete mess.
To listen to our body and sit and rest for awhile, even when the work is not done
To put on a movie for the kids, so we have energy for our husband when he gets home
Reading one Bible verse
Confessing our impatience to God and our kids, and asking for forgiveness
His yoke is easy and his burden is light. When we're overwhelmed by a long to do list, we can bring the list to God, and ask Him to highlight what needs to be done next. Then we do it in the strength and wisdom he provides, leaving the results to Him. When that is done, we come back to him and ask for the next instruction.
He invites us into this childlike dependence on Him. We never graduate to a place in our spiritual maturity where we don't need Him every hour of every day.
“Walk habitually in the Holy Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance]... If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit.” AMP
A Prayer for the Overwhelmed Heart
“Father, I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know what to do next. Give me clarity on what to focus on right now, and then I will wait for you to give me the next step. Your promise to give me the strength, motivation and time to do what you have for me. Use even the smallest tasks to make me more like you. Amen.”