© 2003 Disney/Pixar
Over the weekend I ended up watching Finding Nemo with my daughter. We stumbled across it and let’s be honest here; it’s nearly impossible not to get sucked in to this particular film. It doesn’t seem to matter if you’re 5 or 50. That being stated, if you haven’t seen it in a while it’s worth the price of admission.
One of the lines from the movie is from Dory who often says, “Just keep swimming.” (If you say it in her singsongy voice it’s more fun) When I first heard the line this past weekend I was instantly reminded of what a former spiritual director told me. “Dave, just keep showing up.”
Here’s the deal with showing up (or continuing to swim). It’s rarely easy. It means being thankful when I feel like complaining. It’s being patient when I’m tired and emotionally fried. It’s turning my face towards heaven and pressing in to an Almighty God even when He seems absent and distant. It’s carving out the time to read, pray, and being still. Showing up is a step by step and day by day journey with God.
The alternative to showing up is to stop; to pull a Jonah and try to run from God, but that path leads to a rather unpleasant destination.
This post is admittedly cliché; but often the simplest truths are the hardest to implement with regularity. So this week, make the commitment to yourself and to God to show up and “keep swimming” towards Him.
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 (NLT)
Til next time,
DP