Today, a co-worker and I were talking about how rough things have been in the past week or so, but nothing stays the same forever (and, yes, today was a much better day!) She said that last night, she went home exhausted. Her six year old son, Max, asked her, “Are you okay, Mommy?” (Children are so perceptive, aren’t they?) She replied that, “Yes, I’m just tired tonight.” It was then that he quoted that famous fish, Dory, and said, “Just keep on swimming, Mommy!” I’ve thought about this off and on all day. That’s pretty good advice.
You know there are all kinds of seas that we go through in life. Steve and I love to go on cruises, and we’ve been in “rough waters,” where as one comedian said, “Only the drunk were walking straight.” When you find yourself in rough waters, you have to slow down and choose your steps carefully. You might need to hold someone’s hand to steady yourself. When you’re in rough waters and strong winds are blowing, you should ask for help when needed, but you shouldn’t give up. You should “keep on swimming.”
Then, there are times when there is a slight wind blowing. Walking along the beach is not enough. The sea is beckoning, and it is so glorious to swim in the sunshine. On these days, we must beware lest we get too “sure of ourselves” and venture out farther than we should. We must keep sight of the shore, but “keep on swimming.”
And, there are the days when the sea is totally calm – not a breeze or a cloud in the sky. It’s definitely a “smooth sailing” kind of day. Things are going our way. When we “keep on swimming” in those waters, we must remember to count our blessings. We should not take them for granted. For “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17)
No matter what kind of seas that we’re going through, the important thing to remember is “to keep on swimming,” for we are all simply blessed, Courtney