Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Payson Prentiss

Most would agree that what Elizabeth accomplished in her lifetime would be incredible for a healthy person, not to mention that of a woman with chronic health afflictions. Although she suffered her entire life from severe headaches and hereditary insomnia, she faithfully filled the role of a pastor's wife, a homemaker, the mother of six children, and an author.

I was left with a sense of wonder and admiration at her industry. Not being one to take those recommendations lightly, I set to work collecting the works of Elizabeth Prentiss and learning more about her life. I first read of Elizabeth Prentiss more than ten years ago, when Elisabeth Elliot mentioned her as an author whose books had influenced her.

As I mentally revisited my priorities as a wife and mother, I reflected on my recent readings about the life of Elizabeth Prentiss. I was getting nowhere fast on my to-do list, and feelings of discouragement threatened me. By this time I had broken up a few fights, corrected children who needed to re-do chores, and begun nursing the baby when my toddler notified me she needed a diaper change. There were at least five reasons why the day should be dubbed as unrecoverable, and it wasn't even 9 a.m. It had been an especially difficult morning at home with my little people.

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Payson Prentiss