"Never Let Them See You Sweat"

Don’t Swim Alone - Never let them see you sweat

There was a series of commercials in the 1980s for an antiperspirant that had an interesting marketing campaign. They found famous people, people who excelled in their fields under stressful situations who gave the viewer the following important advice: “Never Let Them See You Sweat!”. It was pretty catchy. 

We sweat when we are stressed. We sweat when we are exerting ourselves and pushing ourselves to the limits. It is a natural and expected reaction from the human body. So why the advice? Because in a world based on competition we are told to make things look easy. It isn’t enough to win. We can’t just show that we are up to the task, we need to show that we are above it, that it doesn’t bother us. And most of all, we need to show that sweating, stress, and anxiety are for the weak. 

The reality is that even if we are eminently qualified, even if we have landed this plane a thousand times before, it doesn’t mean that we can’t be stressed or anxious. There are risks in any endeavor. And showing that a task is taxing doesn’t make us weak, it makes us human. Remember that the gospel story clearly comments on Jesus sweating blood during the most strenuous moments of his life. 

Living by the “never let them see you sweat” mentality can be isolating. We can be afraid to show any kind of weakness to the people we are leading and serving. We don’t want them to doubt our abilities, our commitment, and our readiness to serve. We want them to have full confidence that they can call us at any time and that we will be there for them. It is ingrained in our sense of call to be ready and present at any moment. 

No one believes me when I tell them but every time I get up to speak, every time I get up to teach or preach or make an announcement I am nervous. It isn’t the paralyzing anxiety of stage fright. It is the natural nerves that come from standing before a group of people bearing our soul. 

"I don’t want people to see me sweat. I want people to think that I have it all under control. But some of the most important moments in my ministry have been when I have allowed others to see that I am a human being."

I don’t want people to see me sweat. I want people to think that I have it all under control. But some of the most important moments in my ministry have been when I have allowed others to see that I am a human being. I’ve had fellow clergy and the parishioners that I serve come to me and thank me for being willing to show that I don’t have it all together. It reminds them that priests are people too, people who are just as messy as everyone else. 

Not swimming alone means accepting those holy invitations from the people around us to let our guard down. It means knowing that our humanity does peek through from between our armor plating and that our vulnerability is not a liability, it is a blessing. Jesus became weak so that we might know that weakness is not weakness if it is offered to God. He let his disciples see him suffer and sweat to remind them that part of being human is living into the reality that none of us are invincible. We all sweat, and that’s ok.