Keep Calm and Carry On

Not long ago, I was browsing through a department store and I noticed a T-shirt with this saying: Keep Calm and Carry On. Since then I’ve seen this logo on journals, mugs, and all kinds of other memorabilia. I did some research and found out the slogan was first used in Britain during World War II. Keep Calm and Carry On was the third in a series of posters designed by the British government to encourage their people. It was to be issued only if Germany invaded England. Fortunately, this poster was never distributed. More than 60 years later, its message is now a household phrase.

Keep Calm

It’s good advice—especially in times of hardship and uncertainty. Do you sometimes feel like life is spiraling out of control? The cost of living continues climbing, but incomes stay the same. Jobs have disappeared leaving thousands of people unemployed. Shootings happen in movie theaters. Random acts of nature—tornadoes, floods, drought have brought unprecedented destruction on communities and countries. It’s unsettling.

As a new grandparent, I’m already concerned about what our sweet granddaughter, only three months old, will face as she grows up. What dangers will lurk with social media? Will she be persecuted for her faith? Will there be a job for her when she’s ready to launch out on her own? Keep calm…

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

I breathe in this promise of peace and remember not to be afraid.

Carry On

To carry on is the courageous keeping on with whatever is at hand, whatever is next in importance to do. When London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 59 straight nights, the city never shut down. The people of London went to work and kept their daily routines. That’s remarkable.

I would have been tempted to stay in bed with the covers pulled up around my head. But the Lord tells us to keep going, don’t quit—no matter what the circumstances. No matter how long we’ve been waiting for something to happen, for a change to come, for an answer to our prayers.

Carry on is an effective solution when you feel like you’re spinning your wheels trying to find answers or feeling paralyzed, unable to take action. Carry on means asking, “What’s the most important thing I need to do at this moment? What’s next? Then do it. Maybe it’s pulling yourself out of bed, getting dressed, and making breakfast for your children. One-step-at-a-time. One-day-at-a-time. Carry on!

I’ve experienced many times in my life when Keep Calm and Carry could have been my mantra. For me, it’s much more than a stoic determination to do something courageous in my own strength. I realize the One who keeps me calm and gives me strength to carry on is Jesus. Though I appreciate this succinct British slogan now making a comeback, I’m thankful we don’t have to do life on our own.

What about you? How do you keep on keeping on?