How to do the next thing...

It has become a regular practice in these recent months for me to log into a site called A Holy Experience where posts are written almost daily by Ann Voskamp.  She is a sister in Christ who I have yet to meet, but whose influence I am welcoming with something akin to hunger.  This morning I poured a cup of tea and pulled up a chair for my daily dose.  My hubby is sleeping in (a rare and precious treat for him) and I took some time to meander through her archives...lingering here is just what the Doctor ordered.

I was drawn to a post titled "When perfectionism and to-do lists overwhelm." (I highly recommend it.) This morning, seagulls soar and oceans roar for me, but can I glean in these quiet moments some help for the typical days of my life when to-do lists run longer than the hours in the day?

"When the problems before you seem to loom larger than the Power behind you, the purpose in living can fall right out from underneath of you."

My mind interacts with her written thoughts...I think of Peter walking on the water when his eyes are fixed on Jesus and how he sinks when he looks away from Him and to the storm.  I read and soak in the emphasis on trusting God and praising Him as we do the next thing.  And because time allows I follow the link she has for "do the next thing" and it takes me to an interview with Elizabeth Elliot.  From there, among other things, I savor this poem which she quoted:

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.

My next thing today isn't pressing in on me...the Lord is giving us rest.  But might I remember this in a few days when the onslaught of activity and demands hit once more?  Oh that I would keep my eyes fixed on Jesus!