I first heard this phrase from a retired pastor – have to admit that I initially found it rather odd and took it as a bit of an ‘old school’ saying. I also thought it was one of those ‘it goes without saying’ phrases which didn’t really say anything (so why say it?) but I’ve come to understand that everyday life has challenges and trials and we need to be encouraged to keep on keeping on.
Sometimes the daily grind is exactly that… a grind! Sometimes, everything can feel difficult. Certainly, recent and current events in the UK and in Europe are having an extreme, unsettling effect that makes one wonder ‘what on earth is tomorrow going to bring?’. Do you feel like I feel… the only certainty is that everything feels uncertain!
I had this very conversation this week… lamenting about the effects of Covid on our children, the urgency to act to save the planet, the impact of the war in Ukraine, the worry of not having enough to live on, the possibility of losing work and homes, the reckless decisions of our leaders and our seeming inability to do anything about it.
Of course, we’re not living with bombs dropping around and on us… we haven’t lost our homes and livelihoods because there’s an aggressor on our doorstep… we haven’t lost loved ones or experienced the cruelty of evil men… but many of us might have a sense of concern, even fear about what the future holds. And it can be paralysing and infectious.
So what are we to do?
Our focus could easily be that worry which would be understandable but entirely unhelpful and unproductive. Worry can become all-consuming… that’s the last thing that we need when everyday decisions still need to be made and that’s where that saying comes in.
Surely it’s better to keep on keeping on. It’s not easy to put to one side those things that are concerning… it needs a conscious effort but there is something powerful and even heroic in determining to keep on keeping on. As a nation and a world, we need everyday heroes who simply turn up everyday day to keep doing what they’re doing… who keep getting the kids up and off to school, who keep doing their jobs well, who keep caring and loving, who keep smiling, who keep encouraging, who keep serving, who keep praying and depending on God.
Never underestimate the small, everyday, seemingly insignificant actions and words
Keep on keeping on!