When there are a lot of variables in life that I can't control, a lot of change on the horizon and open questions, I try to bring order into the chaos by controlling what I can. Making lists. Making plans. Researching. As I play with my kids or cook a meal, I am often making a mental inventory of what items in our home to sell, which to ship, how and where and when to do the selling. I've spent evenings researching flights, neighbourhoods in our new city, places to stay, job possibilities. None of these things, however, have we been able to move forward with until we hear back from a few applications, and as we wait in trust on particular doors to open (or not).
Through reading Haggai, some talks with friends, and just that still small voice, the phrase Do the next thing was impressed on my spirit.
I remember when a teacher at Tauernhof gave me this advice 10 years ago, after pouring out my heart to him about my confusion concerning big life goals and vision, who to marry and where to go and what to do next. After encouraging me in my big dreams, he told me to focus on the next step, the next task, and to fulfill what I had already committed to doing. "Do the next thing."
I have been implementing The Pomodoro Technique into my academic work time, which brings focus and forces you to put aside both internal and external distractions. The author writes that internal distractions while you are working on a task (i.e. thoughts like "I have to look up that flight!" "I wonder how much apartments go for in that neighbourhood? What's on the market right now?" "I need to organize my bookshelf/do the laundry/sort the kids toys to sell while they are out of the house.") are signals that you are afraid of failing at the task at hand and thus prefer to put it off. Amen, brother. If we actually go off and do all those things immediately which pop into our mind, we are prioritizing the urgent over the important and reducing the quantity and quality of work you accomplish. Later, we might realize these things were neither urgent nor important, and we can do them in a structured way (or not do them at all, as the case may be).
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| I wonder what immigration officers think reading people's love stories? Do they laugh, cry, smile? Or do they methodically throw your memories around and stamp the file? I hope they enjoy reliving the past 10 years of our lives. |
It hasn't been too hard for me to block out distractions during my work time (especially now that I am conscious of them and the underlying fear), as I know my time is limited as is. It's the other 19 hours of the day when constant thoughts, lists, and questions fill my mind.
Thus, do the next thing has been a breath of fresh air. There are so many things I can't control, things we just have to wait for, some things we won't figure out til we're in Montreal in August. I have to remind myself time and again to trust that He who called us is faithful to provide. So for now, I've come back to doing the next thing. Writing my dissertation during work time. In the evenings, climbing the immigration paperwork mountain I have been marching around and eyeing up but only kicking with my toe up til now. Rather than look up flights for this summer, I've got a trip in May to finish organizing.
The next thing. It's brought me some structure and perhaps it will for someone else out there as well. While you're waiting for answers, for direction, for your life partner, for your big break, just do what you can do. Go to work. Fulfill your commitments. Be faithful where you're at. Do the next thing.
