“I didn’t hit rock bottom; I just got too tired of digging.”
It’s such a simple line — but it cuts deep.
Kiffin wasn’t bragging about survival or recovery; he was confessing awareness. He didn’t wait for a collapse, a DUI, or a front-page failure. He reached the point where exhaustion finally out-weighed denial. That’s when he put the shovel down — not because he couldn’t dig any deeper, but because he realized he didn’t have to.
Since choosing sobriety in 2020, Kiffin has talked about emotional sobriety — being calmer, present, and more grounded — especially with his kids. That’s not weakness. That’s strength in its truest form: the courage to stop before the fall.
The Most Progressive Man
C.S. Lewis said something that runs parallel to Kiffin’s honesty:
“If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.”
We talk a lot about “progress,” but Lewis reminds us that direction matters more than motion. If you’re going the wrong way, speeding up just gets you lost faster. Real progress begins the moment you turn around.
That’s what repentance really is — not an emotional meltdown or rock-bottom moment — but a conscious decision to stop digging and start walking toward life again.
The Bible’s word for “turning around” is repentance. It doesn’t just mean feeling bad — it means changing direction. In Greek, the word metanoia literally means “to change your mind.” It’s the moment when your heart and your thinking realign with God’s truth. Repentance isn’t punishment — it’s invitation. It’s God saying, “You don’t have to keep digging; come home.”
That’s where “I Stopped Diggin’” came from.
It’s a song about repentance without self-pity, confession without collapse — a man realizing he doesn’t have to sink any further to find grace.
Should be dead, but still livin’,
Never reached the bottom, I just stopped diggin’.
Turned my face from the hole I made,
Started walkin’ back the other way.
Grace doesn’t always wait at the bottom of the pit.
Sometimes it meets you halfway — right when you drop the shovel, wipe your hands, and start climbing out.
You can listen to it here: I Just Stopped Digging
If you’re digging today — chasing something that’s stealing your peace, draining your joy, or burying your soul — you don’t have to hit bottom to change. Just stop. Turn around. Walk back.
That’s not failure — that’s wisdom.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” — Acts 3:19
“When he came to his senses… he got up and went to his father.” — Luke 15:17–20
And the beauty of the gospel is this: every turn toward Him is met by grace.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9
