Doing What You Gotta Do - Louisa May Alcott

1832–88

Young Louisa May Alcott was surrounded and educated by an impressive crowd. Formally, Louisa and her three sisters were homeschooled by their father, Bronson Alcott. Informally, family friends like Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and Nathaniel Hawthorne took an interest in sharing their knowledge with the Alcott children.

It was the time of the New England transcendentalist movement. Louisa’s father spent most of his time involved with this philosophical and religious movement that emphasized self-reliance and independence. Louisa embraced these traits, but she also embraced much of what she learned from her mother.

From her mother, Abigail May, Louisa was taught Christianity and social responsibility. You can see this influence in Louisa’s classic novel, Little Women, which is based on her family experiences. Jo, the independent tomboy who loves to write and becomes a teacher, was modeled after the author herself.

The things her parents taught her served her well. Louisa was self-reliant, independent, and faithful. She took care of her family. Although her father believed deeply in education and educating others, the transcendentalist beliefs that encouraged simple living often left him unconcerned about making money. As a result, Louisa had to work as a seamstress, a woman’s companion, a teacher, a governess, an actress, and of course, a writer, to support the family. Some of her early novels were thrillers, a scandalous genre for a woman to be writing at the time, so she used the pen name A. M. Barnard. Hey, they helped pay the bills.

Although the saying “You gotta do what you gotta do” didn’t exist at the time, Louisa certainly understood the sentiment. She even rolled up her sleeves during the Civil War and worked as a nurse, though she had no formal training.

When life gets tough, sometimes you have to take on tasks that aren’t what you had imagined for yourself. You can resent it, or like Louisa May Alcott, you can draw on your strengths and do what you gotta do. Be grateful that you have those strengths, along with a God to draw strength from, to take care of yourself and those you love.

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Colossians 3:23