Just Keep Swimming

By: Victoria Zangaro

I think most of us have heard this reference from the iconic Pixar character, Dory, in the film Finding Nemo. In that amazing movie, as Dory and Marlin were trying to find Nemo, they kept on swimming through all the obstacles until they finally found him. From sharks to jellyfish to all manner of craziness, they kept going; they endured . . . they didn't give up because of what they knew awaited them on the other side of the journey.

Many times, when we are in the middle of something, even though the temptation to give in spiritually and give up on the hope of God may be strong, we need to be like Dory and Marlin. In life, regardless of age or experience, we're likely to encounter seasons when we feel lost, when we're not sure where to turn, when we have no answers and seemingly nothing to cling to. And it's in those seasons most of all that we need to keep moving forward, keep swimming, and keep pressing in. 

Now, I know what you're thinking . . . "Easier said than done," right? Absolutely, but that doesn't make it any less important for us to do it. You see, in those moments when we feel as though we have no more strength to go on, when we're all out of perseverance  and hope to move forward, God says that's precisely when His power is made perfect in us. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 He tells Paul (and us), "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." To this, Paul—a man who had endured more troubles and hardships and difficult circumstances than most of us could ever even begin to imagine—says, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

So, on those days where you don't feel like reading your Bible or praying, do it anyway. And not because it's a rule that we need to follow or part of a checklist we need to complete to be "good Christians," but because I promise you that in His Word and in prayer, God has something powerful for you. In His Word, In His presence, we experience His grace in increasing measure, we grow in the knowledge of His will, we receive the strength and endurance to keep swimming, and we grow in our love and gratitude of Him. Just look at what Paul says in Colossians 1:9–14: "We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Daily, seek Him, be with Him, grow in your knowledge of His through the Word. Reading the Bible and praying will be moments of rest and restoration during hard times; it will give you the hope and strength you're seeking that you can't find anywhere else. 

The Bible will help you to remember the amazing things God has done, and how He is faithful to His children. The Bible can be encouraging and convicting, but this is what we need to keep on swimming. Reading the Word of God and spending time in prayer will change us to our core, and will enable us to keep fighting. Every day, He will give us the motivation that we need to continue. 

God is the only One that knows how much we have struggled. He sees when we're going through a valley and He's there with us. And that's the most beautiful thing about life as a believer:  when we're swimming, we're not swimming alone. God is right there with supernatural floaties so that we can keep on moving. Even though in the middle it doesn't always feel this way, He will never let us drown. He will always be there with us. In His Word, God promises that He will never leave or forsake us. So while the middle can be scary and dark, when God is with us, He will always light our path and give us the strength to keep on swimming.