Have you discovered www.explore.org? You can actually watch a live cam of wild grizzly bears catching salmon in a river in Alaska’s wilderness.
It’s a breathtaking glimpse into the majesty of creation.
As I soaked in the wonder of it from my couch in Iowa, what really started to catch my eye were the salmon. Who knows how long they’d already been swimming upstream before they came across this obstacle. Not only did they need to swim past several enormous hungry bears, they had to jump up a 4-ish foot waterfall even though they’re just little fish.
It was astounding. For a long time when I watched, none of them made it, but they kept trying. From my perspective I could see easier parts of the falls where they had a better chance of making it, but they had no way to know from their fishy perspective.
They just kept leaping with impressive strength then flopping back into the water and trying again with gusto.
Again and again, while the bears calmly took swipes at them.
I was amazed by their persistence.
Winston Churchhill said “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
My question for you is: Do you have an area of life, where you feel like you’re swimming upstream?
Are you working like a salmon and making no progress, while coming up against crazy-hard obstacles that threaten to devour your last bit of resolve?
If so, I want to remind you that it’s okay. You’re okay.
If you’re doing your best to follow Christ in your daily life, the external result matters much less than your steadfast pursuit of His Love.
Just like I marvel at the salmon’s spunky resolve, a choir of angels is marveling at yours. And whether you realize it or not, you’re positively impacting the people around you as well.
Our best leap of faith is always – always – enough.
St. Paul said “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”-James 1: 2-4
If we’re walking a spiritual path, we need to let go of attachment to results on the physical plane.
It isn’t easy, but it can become a joyful process when we begin to understand the deeper graces our struggles reveal.
St. Faustina said “Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.”
No matter what you’re going through, I encourage you to “Just Keep Swimming” like Dori. And keep praying too! Trust that God is shaping your character in beautiful ways through this trial.
What life challenge are you working through today? Comment below, and we’ll lift you up in prayer!