The Next Thing

I've been busy.
Not like busy where you are going here and there, but busy like only a mother of 5 kids under age 7 would "get".

I've found my days very full.

Full to overflowing... and I have an amazing, wonderful and involved husband that is currently on sabbatical (for only one more day) who has helped ... actually run our home single-handedly for nearly 3 months now... and he has continued to help!

But I am still busy.
Like I said, my days our full.

We cook, clean up, school, cook, clean up, do laundry, clean up, fold, switch loads, put away, more putting away, more cooking, more clean up, and add in diaper changes, discipline/training/gospel giving, scolding things like not flushing toilets, wiping little faces, reminding to wash hands, and all the other things that come with having children. Over and over and over again!

Now don't get me wrong... I love it... I feel I was made for this.
I am not complaining... I am just busy.

Please don't make me say it... My hands are FULL.
(Total inside joke there... I hate being told my hands are full... which oddly we haven't had any one tell us that since returning home... perhaps that is too obvious to mention now.)

But they are. They are full.

All day I am washing dishes, doing laundry, and loving, training and molding little people.
And I got to thinking... "What am I doing wrong? Why am I working so hard... I must be doing something wrong..."

Then it hit me... I HAVE FIVE CHILDREN, ALL UNDER AGE 7!
Soon we will have a 6, 5, 4, 3 and 1 year old...
Something would be wrong if I weren't BUSY... right?

AND THEY ARE REALLY AMAZINGLY SWEET, EASY GOING AND LOVING KIDS!
I am seriously blessed to be their mom! I am fully aware of this.

But still I was beating myself up... and probably will from time to time... about not being able to "keep up with ... (fill in the blank)"

One of my hero's Elizabeth Elliot said, "Just do the next thing..."

JUST DO THE NEXT THING!

Don't get lost in the thing 10 down the list... don't even worry about the list... just do the next thing... do it well... and do it with love.

Today I got to thinking. When I do the next thing I begin to see something lovely in what I am doing.

Do the dishes and see the blessing in my hot water.
Put food of the table and see how abundantly God provides it.
Wash up little hands and thank God that I am in HIS hands.
Sweep the floor and thank God that we have crumbs that can fall on them.
Do school and enjoy learning and growing together, I realize that I am never to old to learn something new.
Correct, train and teach... and see how I need the same correction, training and teaching.
Do a hundred other little things and learn another hundred other things... that aren't at all little.

Repeat it... every day.
Because we all need to be reminded over and over and over again.

There is beauty in doing the next thing... simply because it needs to be done... but realizing it is done for something far more important than I first assumed.