A few years ago, I placed a sticker on my laptop with four words often spoken by Elisabeth Elliott: “Do the next thing.” It’s a simple reminder to be diligent and faithful with the tasks God gives me each day. 

As a self-proclaimed “planner,” I embrace the joy of checking items off my to-do list. Maybe you do too. Many of us are forward-thinkers who constantly anticipate what’s ahead. This disposition can be a blessing, but it can also predispose us to impatience, frustration, or dissatisfaction when we feel like we’re not accomplishing or achieving. What happens when the “next thing” God has for us is to slow down, rest, or wait? How might we see him working to make us fruitful, even if we feel our own activity is lacking?

In her recent article, Don’t Waste Your Season, Ruth Chou Simons encourages those of us who feel stuck or stagnant.  “A tree will be fruitful in due season when it chooses to be deeply rooted from the beginning,” she reminds us. “We get to choose whether we’ll remain and stay close to the source of God’s Word in the ‘right now’ of our current season, even when we can’t yet see the fruit we hope will come.”

In every season, we can choose to actively pursue God’s presence by meditating on his Word, engaging in persistent prayer, and prioritizing fellowship with other believers. If we abide in him, we’re promised we will bear much fruit (John 15:5)—even if that harvest is produced more slowly than we prefer. Seasons spent in rest, recovery, or enduring hardship may not give us tangible items to check off a list when we long to “do the next thing,” but they achieve something far greater as God uses them to drive our roots deeply into him.

Laura Ehrman
Discipleship Programming Administrator

P.S. Ruth Chou Simons is one of the keynote speakers for TGCW24. Register today to hear more from Ruth and more than 60 other speakers as we gather in Indianapolis June 20–22!