“Row, Even When Sinking Seems Easier”

The simple nursery rhyme, "Row, row, row your boat," holds profound truths that align with Scripture and life’s struggles. At first glance, it seems like a child's tune, but beneath its words lie layers of spiritual and mental health insights. Let’s row deeper.

To row is to take intentional action, to move forward despite resistance. It’s not the water that moves the boat, but the steady effort of rowing. Row symbolizes perseverance, the relentless will to keep moving forward in the streams of life. Notice that "row" is mentioned three times. The repetition is not accidental. Repeating it is a rhythm—life’s rhythm—reminding us that rowing requires consistency, discipline, and endurance. You row for survival, row for growth, and row for purpose. Survival is the basic effort of staying afloat in life’s challenges. Growth means rowing toward something better. Purpose is rowing for others, for God, and for yourself. Life does not move forward without action, and the moment we stop rowing, we surrender to the current of circumstances.

The boat is your life, your relationships, your dreams, your mind. A boat at rest on the water looks peaceful, but it is directionless. Without rowing, the current will dictate your destination, often pulling you where you never intended to go. This is why mental health struggles are like still waters with unseen currents beneath—if you don’t row with intentionality, your mind drifts to the whirlpools of anxiety, fear, and despair. To row your boat is to fight for clarity, healing, and peace.

The stream represents life’s journey—ever-flowing, ever-changing, and often uncontrollable. Some waters are gentle, others turbulent. You can’t control the current, but you can control your response. You must choose to row, gently, yet persistently. The word “gently” is a key: it reminds us not to thrash against life but to row with grace, not allowing bitterness or rage to burn us out. For some, this gentle rowing means working through broken relationships. For others, it’s rowing away from promises unkept, toxic environments, or a broken heart that weighs you down. Sometimes, it means rowing within yourself—navigating the unseen waters of your thoughts, memories, and pain. The mind can be the trickiest stream of all, but when you gently row through its currents, you find clarity.

Notice the rhyme does not say “row alone”; though the boat is yours, it is not meant to be rowed by you alone. God is in the boat with you. Even Jesus, asleep in the storm-tossed boat with the disciples, was present in their chaos. They cried out, and He calmed the waves. You may feel like you are rowing alone, but God is always there. The story of Noah echoes this truth. God told Noah to build an ark—a much bigger boat—when no one else believed. He spent decades rowing toward obedience, faith, and hope while others mocked him. Noah’s stream was a storm that wiped the earth clean, yet he rowed forward because of God’s promise. His perseverance kept him afloat when the entire world sank. What does that mean for you? Sometimes rowing feels like building an ark in the middle of a drought—pointless and exhausting. But keep rowing.

Here’s where the twist deepens: “merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.” How can one row merrily while struggling against currents? This joy doesn’t come from the absence of storms but from knowing who is in the boat with you. Life is but a dream—not meaning it’s unreal, but that it’s fleeting. James 4:14 says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” In this short, precious life, we are called to row toward eternity. Your broken heart, your mental exhaustion, your disappointments are real—but they are not the end. Keep moving forward. If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, keep rowing.

Think of the boat again. In relationships, you row by showing up, by forgiving, by extending love. In mental health, you row by seeking help, by facing the deep waters of your mind, by believing that healing is possible. In faith, you row by trusting God even when the stream feels endless. The act of rowing teaches us this: life’s meaning is not in reaching the shore, but in who we become in the rowing.

So, row, row, row your boat—not frantically, not aimlessly, but gently, with faith, and with purpose. Row through the stream of life with the confidence that God is leading you to still waters. Row with joy, for even when you feel adrift, you are not lost. Life is but a dream—a fleeting moment—but for those who row with God, eternity awaits. Keep rowing.

-Jermy Arnold