To Live is Christ — Doing the next thing

A few years ago I had the privilege of attending a conference where missionary author and speaker Elizabeth Elliot was the main guest. She made one statement that stuck in my mind and has helped me greatly since then.

After she spoke, she allowed questions from the audience. One person asked her how she managed to do so much, and what was her secret to time management. She responded with something I’ve never heard or read elsewhere. She said, “Just do the next thing. You always know what that is.”

She was right. I always know. I might ignore it, or procrastinate, or allow myself to be distracted, but I always know. This is what it means to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

Paul knew too this guidance too, yet his life calling had a distinct focus. Jesus sent him to preach the gospel, mainly to the Gentiles. Nevertheless, Paul did not let anything distract him from that calling.

But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)

Yesterday God convicted me about letting distractions take me off course from what He wanted me to do. While my calling is not as distinct as Paul’s, I’m still called to “do the next thing.” As the Holy Spirit makes that next step clear, it can be frustrating at times. I often feel like a person walking on a dark and winding path with a flashlight. I can only see the next step by taking the step in front of me.

The difference between a life calling like Paul’s and a moment by moment one like mine is that his calling had a frame around it. He still had to make those moment by moment decisions, but all of them were related to the general focus that God had plainly given him. He had a lighthouse off in the distance as his goal.

For me, that lighthouse is pretty fuzzy. It is more of a general purpose like that expressed by author and speaker Angel Hunt at a writers’ conference. She said, “Writing is not a calling. Instead, God calls all of you (a group of Christian writers) to love and obey Him. Today you might be writing; tomorrow He may ask you to do something else.”

Several writers in that audience know that writing is their life’s work, but not me. I’m called to obey Him moment by moment. Right now, I am writing these thoughts from my daily devotions. The next thing is not clear until I finish this thing. Other times I feel like I’m not finished one thing and He is asking me to move on. For a person with attention deficit issues, this is both easy and difficult. I’m used to distractions that take me off course. Being distracted by God to “Do this” or “Go there” is somewhat similar and can even be exciting.

However, being “available” is also a test of obedience and faith. In my humanness, I can become absorbed with a project (as ADD people can do) and wish I could spend hours on it, but the still small voice will not let me. I’d also like a focus, a clear goal to aim for and wrap my activities around, not have to be constantly on the alert for a change of direction from God. Yet He asks me to keep my heart open to His call. I’m to avoid distractions, yet at the same time be obedient and drop whatever I am doing, finished or not, to do the next thing.