Do the Next Thing: Finding Calm in Chaos

We love it when you share!

When life feels overwhelming, do the next thing in faith, resting in the calm that comes from trusting the Living God with each small step.

This week, I had planned to chat with you all about trusting God. That was the plan, until the chaos of life redirected me. You know those days when it feels like everything is calling your name at once? The homeschooling books were scattered across the table, papers piled high beside a half-eaten puff pancake with honey-sweetened strawberry jam saturating the table top. The laundry mountain had grown so large that it could probably qualify as its own national park (which our vacation to a national park was actually the reason it was so high to begin with). Out the window, the garden whispered that the potatoes needed to come out today or the harvest would be lost. And in the middle of it all was a nursing baby needing every ounce of my attention.

It was messy, loud, and ordinary — the kind of chaos only motherhood can bring.

And right there, in the swirl of overwhelm, came that still, small voice: Just do the next thing.

Not the next thing that would make me feel calm or productive. Not the next thing that would earn a gold star in homemaking perfection. But the next faithful thing. The next right thing in the light of my committment to Jesus Christ as his follower. The things that aligned my heart with my mission, not my momentary frustrations.

So today, that’s what I want to talk about: what it means to do the next thing, faithfully and fully, even in the chaos.

This page may contain affiliate links. To view my full affiliate link disclosure, click here. There are Amazon affiliate links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I make a small commission from Amazon links in this post. Find our privacy policy, terms of service, and more information about user data by visiting the links above.

The Chaos of Motherhood and the Hope that Jesus Offers

Motherhood is a strange kind of mission field, isn’t it? It’s filled with dirty jobs, piles of laundry, sticky kitchen drawers, and endless cups of coffee reheated three times. But amid all of it, there’s this quiet invitation from the Living God: Trust Me with this minute of every day.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV)

Jesus doesn’t promise us tidy days or clean kitchen counters. He offers rest for our souls, a kind of rest that steadies us to keep walking forward, one faithful step at a time.

The world tells us to find balance, but Jesus calls us to faithfulness. The world says to chase calm through control, but Jesus says Trust Me.

So when the chaos swirls, maybe peace doesn’t come from finishing the whole list. Maybe it comes from doing just the next thing in His presence, one small act of obedience that echoes eternity.

As seen in the accompanying YouTube Video:
Einkorn Puff Pancake
Our 2025-2026 Homeschool Curriculum
My current baby carrier

Do the Next Thing: Elisabeth Elliot

That phrase — Do the next thing — comes from Elisabeth Elliot. She quoted it from what she called a quaint Saxon legend.

Here is an adaptation of the anonymous poem that Elisabeth quoted:

1. From an old English parsonage, down by the sea,
There came in the twilight a message for me.
Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
It has, seems to me, God’s teaching from Heaven.
And on through the hours the quiet words ring,
Like a low inspiration: DO THE NEXT THING.

2. Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt will be quieted here.
Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrows, child of the King.
Trust them with Jesus. DO THE NEXT THING.

3. Do it immediately. Do it with prayer.
Do it reliantly, casting all care.
Do it with reverence, tracing Christ’s hand.
He placed it before you with earnest command.
Rest on His omnipotence, safe beneath His wing.
Leave all resultings. DO THE NEXT THING.

4. Looking to Jesus, ever serener.
Working or suffering, let this be your demeanor.
In His dear presence, the rest of His calm.
Let the light of Christ’s countenance be your psalm.
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing!
Then, as He commands you, DO THE NEXT THING.

Elisabeth often spoke these quiet words during seasons of deep sorrow and great responsibility — through the death of her first husband, Jim Elliot, through missionary work in the jungle station, and even later as a single parent navigating new roles and uncertain paths.

In her radio programs and books, she reminded weary believers that faith isn’t a grand gesture; it’s a series of small, surrendered steps.

“When you don’t know what to do, just do the next thing.”

I don’t believe Elisabeth meant “do the next convenient thing” or “do what feels best for you.” She meant, do the next faithful thing. Obedience in the small duties. Washing the children’s clothes. Writing the next letter. Finishing the desk job or the kitchen work.

Elisabeth Elliot often reminded women that our daily work isn’t meant to be done out of drudgery but out of devotion, knowing that we ultimately serve Jesus Christ, not just our families.

Trusting Rhythms, Not Perfection

I don’t know about you, but I often find myself chasing perfection rather than trusting rhythm. I want the whole thing neat and predictable. But God doesn’t usually hand us the whole picture; He hands us the next step.

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” Psalm 37:23–24 (ESV)

We want the map; God gives us the moment.

And maybe that’s a kind of mercy. Because in trusting Him for each step, we learn dependence, not control. We begin to find calm not because the house is spotless or the garden is weed-free, but because we’re walking in step with the Spirit.

Faithful rhythms look less like a perfect routine and more like a steady heart. I didn’t do it well on this particular day. The school papers were maddening to me, and the frequent call of the baby set my teeth on edge. Sometimes doing the next right thing means finishing the garden harvest, and sometimes it means setting it aside and holding a baby who only slept for 15 minutes. Sometimes it means letting the school papers fly and the mess surround you while you maintain your mental control. Folding laundry with a nursing baby on your hip can be faithfulness. Reading just one more story when you’d rather scroll can be faithfulness.

Motherhood as a Calling: Inviting Your Kids to Participate

Sometimes doing the next thing means inviting your kids into it. It’s easy to think our mission is to get through the to-do list, but often our real mission is the people standing right beside us.

Let them stir the soup, fold the towels, feed the animals. Let them see that obedience isn’t about our own preferences, but about serving a Living God who meets us in the small duties.

When we invite them into the work, they begin to see the wonder in the ordinary. They start to understand that following Jesus doesn’t always look like being on the mission field in a far-off land; sometimes it’s wiping a counter, changing a diaper, or weeding a garden in His name.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Colossians 3:23 (ESV)

When our kids see us doing the next faithful thing — not perfectly, but earnestly — they begin to learn what quiet obedience looks like. They learn to see His dear presence in the midst of the mundane.

Do the Next Thing Faithfully

Maybe today you’re overwhelmed — by motherhood, by work, by change. Maybe you’re standing in a messy kitchen or at a garden gate, wondering where to even begin.

Start here: take a breath. Ask God what the next faithful thing is. It might be changing a diaper. It might be reading a Psalm aloud. It might be sitting still and praying for strength.

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)

You don’t need to do the whole thing. You just need to take the next step — faithfully, gently, in the light of His countenance.

After Jim’s death, Elisabeth Elliot reflected that her only task each day was to do the will of God — nothing more, nothing less.

That’s the wonderfully saving truth for us, too. We don’t have to carry the weight of the world or finish every task. We simply need to walk with Him, step by step, minute by minute.

So, whether you’re facing kitchen drawers that won’t shut, a pile of children’s clothes waiting to be folded, or the call of a garden that’s overdue for harvest, remember this:

You are not just managing chaos. You are ministering in it.

You are a woman on mission, right where you are, in the home, at the sink, in the soil. You are serving a Living God who sees, who upholds, and who sanctifies even the smallest act of obedience.

So, take heart, dear sister.

Do the next thing — the next faithful thing — and watch how He meets you there.

Don’t Forget to Pin for Later!