keep calm and carry on

i first heard this phrase last year
when a friend of mine called and left me a voicemail
he said something like this…
john, i was riding down the road
and i saw a huge sign that said
“keep calm and carry on”
he went on to say
that he felt God impress on him that this was for me

honestly
after hearing the voicemail
it made no sense to me
things were great
we were living the life we had dreamed of
our family was healthy
our ministry was thriving
we were having a blast
of course we were calm
and for sure carrying on

then came september 2009
and life decided to dump it all out at the same time
without rehashing the details
that many of you already know
our lives changed dramatically
from my brother’s diagnosis and battle with leukemia
to my family-in-law walking through the darkest time of their lives
then due to the current economy situation
many churches began cutting back on guests ministers
this slowed down our ministry travel
everything in our lives was effected

as we walked through this valley
there were days that we were not sure we could make it or take it
then i would hear…
“keep calm and carry on”
and so i would do both
and i have continued to do so
and i will continue to do so

i suggest you try it out
it is much better than the alternative…
panicking while standing still

click here to read more of the history behind this phrase at wikipedia