Farewell 2018- Part 1 of 2 (Just Keep Swimming)

And so, this year comes to a close. How was your year? Are you sad to see it close or excited for it to end? I’ve never been much for New Year resolutions but if I made one this year it would be “Just Keep Swimming”. #Dory
 
In Pixar’s Finding Nemo, Dory is a fish that is quite forgetful but she has a phrase that is quite fitting, “Just keep swimming.”
Sometimes, just like the ocean, life is calm and peaceful. During those moments, it’s easy to keep swimming. Sometimes, life is a whirlwind. There are rough waters and life-threatening tsunamis. During those moments, it is difficult, maybe even next to impossible to keep swimming. But what is the alternative? Sink.
 
There are times that I feel sinking would be much easier because life is just not going how I planned it.
 
“I also saw something else here on earth: The fastest runner does not always win the race, the strongest soldier does not always win the battle, the wisest does not always have food, the smartest does not always become wealthy, and the talented one does not always receive praise. Time and chance happen to everyone.” Ecclesiastes 9:11 NCV
 
Although King Solomon was a very wise (smart) guy, this book sometimes makes him sound like a wise-guy (smart ass). He gives a lot of advice but you won’t hear much of his advice preached to the masses. It just doesn’t sound like good PR for God. Most of the book sounds more like a mix between the depressed donkey Eeyore and the ‘impatient with stupid teens’ father, Red Foreman, from That 70’s Show.
 
“Time and chance happen to everyone” What does that mean? That’s a nice way of saying you can’t always get what you want and most usually won’t. Parents who give their kids the best, sometimes end up visiting them in jail. Married couples that work in church ministry, sometimes find themselves in divorce court. A rapper singing about drugs, alcohol, and sex makes (and wastes) thousands of dollars while a single parent struggles with three jobs so their kid can have a better life. Do these scenarios sound like ‘fair’ outcomes?
 
Life is unpredictable and sometimes unfair. It doesn’t make sense and, as much as we try to have answers, in the end we’ll only find ourselves with more questions.
 
What should we do? Just keep swimming!
 
When things aren’t going our way? Don’t give up, look to God. Just keep swimming.
When things are calm and peaceful and everything is going right? Thank God. Just keep swimming.