Keep Calm and Carry On! This was one of the mottoes of Great Brittan's propaganda posters in the late 1930's during World War II, though this particular poster was never seen by the public until over 50 years later. Owners of a used book store in the northern part of England discovered it in a box of dusty books they bought at auction. After Framing it and hanging it in the shop, it has drawn world wide notability. Reproduced thousands if not millions of times on posters, greeting cards, coffee mugs and key chains.
My question to you is why, over a half century later, is this simple two tone orange poster so popular? Is it the color? Is it the five words?
Our lives have gotten so complex and so busy that when event happen in our lives that disrupt our natural flow, we tend to become entirely too stressed. When these posters were originally made, Great Brittan was under daily threat of invasion. Bombs all over England were destroy their way of life. But England wanted to bolster the resilience of its people. Many people were spending night after night in the tunnels of the London Underground, trying to stay safe from the bombs over head.
Today, not everyone has exploding bombs going off in their back yards, but sometimes events in our lives do explode and destroy what we have come to know as 'normal'. Recent natural disasters here in the U.S. have proven this to a tee. When tornadoes ripped through Joplin, Tuscaloosa, and other cities across the south, lives were lost, homes and businesses destroyed. Some people ask themselves what they would do if that ever happened to them. We really can't answer that until we experience it first hand.
It reminds me a bit of when the Israelites had escaped Egypt and had just made it to the far side of the Red Sea. The Egyptian Army, lead by the Pharaoh himself, was now chasing them through the dry land in the Red Sea they themselves had just crossed. God told Moses to "Be still and know that I am God." That God himself would destroy the army.
How similar is this statement from God to the poster from WWII. When life seems to be coming at us from all sides, when we feel like the bombs are raining down on us, when like life will never get back to normal, all we have to do is put our trust in the One that can move mountains, the one who calms the raging sea, the one that loves you so much, he is ready to gather you up as a hen gathers her chicks. All we have to do is let him. There are times we God calls us to action, but often all we need is to be still and Know He is God.
My question to you is why, over a half century later, is this simple two tone orange poster so popular? Is it the color? Is it the five words?
Our lives have gotten so complex and so busy that when event happen in our lives that disrupt our natural flow, we tend to become entirely too stressed. When these posters were originally made, Great Brittan was under daily threat of invasion. Bombs all over England were destroy their way of life. But England wanted to bolster the resilience of its people. Many people were spending night after night in the tunnels of the London Underground, trying to stay safe from the bombs over head.
Today, not everyone has exploding bombs going off in their back yards, but sometimes events in our lives do explode and destroy what we have come to know as 'normal'. Recent natural disasters here in the U.S. have proven this to a tee. When tornadoes ripped through Joplin, Tuscaloosa, and other cities across the south, lives were lost, homes and businesses destroyed. Some people ask themselves what they would do if that ever happened to them. We really can't answer that until we experience it first hand.
It reminds me a bit of when the Israelites had escaped Egypt and had just made it to the far side of the Red Sea. The Egyptian Army, lead by the Pharaoh himself, was now chasing them through the dry land in the Red Sea they themselves had just crossed. God told Moses to "Be still and know that I am God." That God himself would destroy the army.
How similar is this statement from God to the poster from WWII. When life seems to be coming at us from all sides, when we feel like the bombs are raining down on us, when like life will never get back to normal, all we have to do is put our trust in the One that can move mountains, the one who calms the raging sea, the one that loves you so much, he is ready to gather you up as a hen gathers her chicks. All we have to do is let him. There are times we God calls us to action, but often all we need is to be still and Know He is God.
Great post. And it's so true. It's often the simple things that make the most sense. I think it's about believing in something higher than ourselves and believing that it is guiding us. Trust and keep faith.
ReplyDeleteAbout six months ago I wrote those words in my notepad, tore the page out and hung it on my wall. It's still there so I see them everyday.
Thanks for sharing Meggan.
I believe in the statements you are making. Seriously, just trust in God, and all will be okay!
ReplyDelete