Have you heard this expression before? I heard it every now and then as a kid growing up in Lafayette.
It literally means, “Don’t drop the potato.” But it’s an old Cajun expression of saying, “Hang in there. Don’t give up. Don’t drop the ball.”
The saying goes way back to Cajun hunters who would roast potatoes, along with meat, in an outdoor camp-fire. Once the potato was roasted, it would be eaten by holding it in your hand. If the potato was still hot, you had to "hang on" until your hand would get used to the heat.
The last two months have been such a challenge for our area, and for our church, and for each one of us individually. And we know that the challenges and struggles won’t be over with anytime soon. It will take a long time until things are somewhat back to normal.
So what do we do in the meantime? Weep? Pause? Regroup? Pray? All of the above.
And we also need to do something else: lache pas la patate. Don’t drop the ball. Hang in there. Keep on going. Shingle by shingle, tree limb by tree limb, brick by brick, step by step, we keep on going because God is with us.
The Apostle Paul affirmed, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) May that also be our faith today. Lache pas la patate!