Just Keep Swimming

by Eddie Pipkin

Ever have one of those weeks (or months) where everything feels like it’s going against you?  No matter how hard you try, things keep going off the rails.  Small disasters befall you at every turn.  Trouble is your middle name.  Even though you are proceeding with the best intentions and applying sincere effort, your labors are consistently thwarted, and those excellent intentions keep running off course and into the ditch.  I know the feeling.  I’ve been having one of those stretches myself.  So, I hope by encouraging you – because we all inevitably endure these seasons – I might just find some encouragement myself.  To quote that great theologian, Dory from “Finding Nemo”: “Just keep swimming,” friends.

When it feels like the world has tilted on its axis just to trip you up, “moving forward” sounds less like a goal and more like a cruel joke. We often think of progress as a steady, upward climb, but when everything is going against you, progress usually looks more like a crawl through thick mud. The secret to surviving these seasons isn’t found in grand gestures or sudden bursts of motivation; it is found in the quiet, stubborn refusal to stay where you fell.

This idea in the power of momentum is one that is having an impact on my own journey.  We have to keep moving forward.  It’s important, yes, to pause, to practice sabbatical, to recalibrate and catch our breath, but those times, by definition, are temporary respites.  The impetus is to keep moving.  I have had ministry friends who stay stuck in the ‘downtime’ phase and can’t seem to get themselves restarted.  They learn to settle for a low-functioning stasis.

The first step in moving forward is radical acceptance of the present. When we face resistance, our natural instinct is to fight the reality of the situation or exhaust ourselves wondering “why me?” This mental loop creates a secondary layer of suffering that pins us down. Accepting that things are difficult doesn’t mean you like it or that you’ve given up; it simply means you are no longer wasting energy arguing with the facts. By acknowledging the weight of your circumstances, you can finally stop pushing against a brick wall and start looking for a way around it.

Ministry leaders struggle with radical acceptance of the present.  We create narratives that things are rosier than they appear, that things are beyond our control, that our mission is holy and therefore will eventually overcome the obvious facts, or that there is no point in us fighting the system, so we should just duck for cover and come to terms with the status quo.

If we’re having trouble figuring out how to move forward, it’s time to employ some specific strategies.  One of the best is learning to shrink your world. When everything is going wrong, looking at the “big picture” is often the worst thing you can do. The future looks like a mountain range you aren’t equipped to climb. To keep moving, you have to lower your gaze to the next five minutes. If you can’t plan for next month, plan for the next hour. If you can’t think about tomorrow, focus on the next meal. By narrowing your focus to the immediate task, you bypass the paralysis of overwhelm. Small wins—answering one email, washing one dish, taking one walk—accumulate into momentum. Momentum is the antidote to despair.

Within organizations we can help people embrace this strategy when they are stuck in place.  Sometimes an individual needs this encouragement – sometimes that individual is us – and sometimes whole teams need to embrace this philosophy.

For ourselves as leaders, it is also vital to manage our internal dialogue. When external forces are against you, your mind will often try to join the opposition. It will tell you that struggle is a sign of failure or that God is sending you a message to quit. You have to treat your mind like a teammate that needs coaching. Remind yourself that feelings are not facts; feeling defeated is a temporary emotional state, not a permanent identity. Resilience is less about being “tough” and more about being patient with yourself while you are under pressure.  Prayer is important as a calibration tool and a way to keep our priorities grounded.  Grant yourself some grace.

Finally, remember that friction is often what creates growth. Just as a plane takes off against the wind, not with it, the most profound developments in character usually happen when the resistance is highest. When everything is going against you, you are being forced to shed the habits, people, and mindsets that no longer serve you. You are being refined by the very things you wish would go away.  Seemingly intractable problems are the means by which we develop and exercise our most essential qualities, and they are the way in which we learn to rely on other people to support and on our spiritual disciplines to sustain us.

Moving forward when the tide is against you isn’t about speed. It’s about the relentless pursuit of the next inch. As long as you are still breathing, the story isn’t over. Take the smallest possible step today, then do it again tomorrow. Eventually, you’ll look back and realize that the wind has changed, and you’re miles away from where you thought you were stuck.

If you can’t wholesale reinvent a ministry, start with something small.  If you can’t change your whole routine, make a minor adjustment.  One thing leads to another with patience and focus.

Celebrate the victories and the progress, however small, however incremental.  Get your focus outside of yourself, so that you can see the bigger picture and a more holistic perspective.

Don’t give up.  Know that you are valuable and your efforts matter.  Just keep swimming!  If you keep moving forward, good things can happen.  Something will click.  By wallowing in the bog and doing nothing, we set the conditions in which nothing good or new can happen.  The stories of the Bible, the stories or our faith, are of people moving forward, often against great odds.  That is our legacy as individuals and as leaders.  The power of the stories we share is to remind ourselves of this truth and to take great hope from it.

It doesn’t matter if you’re Michael Phelps or just awkwardly doing the dog paddle, stay in the water and keep moving.  You got this!