Just Keep Swimming

(photo credit)

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -- Nelson Mandela

There have been times in the past couple of years when I could barely get out of bed in the morning. I'd wake with a heaviness on my heart that was seemingly impossible to bear. Immediately my mind filled with all that was wrong in my world, and all that was ahead of me. Soon the despair was difficult to shake. 

On those days, it helped tremendously that I was raising three sons. I couldn't simply waste the day away. The boys had to be cared for, loved, and given attention. Permission slips needed to be signed, classes chosen for the next semester, etc. I had to keep moving.

There's a scene in the film, "Finding Nemo" when Nemo's dad thinks all is lost. Dory encourages him by singing, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." Those three words have become an anthem of sorts...instructions on what to do when we don't know what to do.

As we go through trials, sometimes all we can do is simply put one foot in front of the other. Move. Do something. Anything. 

I'm reading Joyce Meyer's book "Get Your Hopes Up." She likes to call it her happy book.

She points out that when people are hurt and frightened, they become passive. They freeze, and stop moving. That absolutely describes me in the early days of this hurtful season in my life.

Meyer says this: "If you've dealt with a hurt that has you frozen in your tracks, I'm not making light of your pain. Trust me; I've gone through plenty of trying times that have hurt so badly I felt like I couldn't keep going. I understand what you're going through, because I too have felt paralyzed by a hardship. But I do want to encourage you in the midst of your pain that sometimes the very best thing you can do is just keep moving.

You may not have all the answers yet. You may still be shocked by the circumstances. You may even feel like the world is caving in around you. But in the midst of those difficulties, if you'll just keep moving, it will help you not to become hopeless."

Hope. It's impossible to live without it. During times of trouble, if we remain hopeful about what's ahead, it'll help get us through trials. 

If you're in the midst of your own struggle, I want to encourage you to just keep swimming. Move forward. Take steps of faith, even if they're small and wear you out. Even if the one thing you do today is not give up hope, that's something. 

Take these words from Joyce Meyer's book to heart: "If you're not walking, you have no hope of arriving somewhere new."

Until next time...