It is what it is...

I have a friend who often says to me, “It is what it is” when I question different situations.  I get so annoyed at that response and find myself shooting back, “Well, what is it?”  I just never really understood that phrase in relation to any given situation.  It has never offered me any clarity at all.  I seem to walk away just as unclear as I was before questioning things.  I’m the type of person that wants clear and concise answers.  Don’t dance around an issue.  Don’t give me the gray version.  Be clear on what it is.

But today was different.  I was reading John’s account of the crucifixion when I had an “AHA” moment of clarity.

John 19:19-22

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross.  It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

20 Many of the Jews read the sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Arabic, Latin and Greek. 

21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be the king of the Jews.”

22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

In that moment, I could hear Pilate saying to the priests, “It is what it is.”  BOOM!  And just like that, I became crystal clear on the old saying that used to confuse me while at the same time was reminded of one fact – Jesus is King!

That reminder jump-started my faith on the spot.  No more struggling with if, when and how God would show up on my behalf.  No more worrying about how He will reign over my life and all the issues surrounding me.  Instead, the next time the enemy tried to poke holes in my faith and get me to doubt God’s promises for my life, I simply said out loud, “It is what it is.”  

Friends, even when we don’t understand, let’s hold tight to our faith.  And in those moments when fear and doubt try to creep in, let’s simply hang a sign over our faith that says “It is what it is.”  Jesus is King!

Love Always,

Shy

http://lovealwaysshy.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovealwaysshy/

What’s next?

As I sat sipping my coffee, it seemed unreal that 15 years had passed since I’d moved to Atlanta when my children were little.  Over the years, Atlanta has been a great place to raise them for so many reasons.  As I think back, I can still remember when my son got on the school bus for the first time and waved goodbye as my daughter headed off for middle school. I never imagined the day would come when my son would graduate high school and wave goodbye again.  When people would tell me to cherish the time of their childhood because it goes so fast, I never realized just how fast it actually goes.

Fast forward fifteen years from the day I first got them settled into their new bedrooms to the day I’m actually packing up their rooms.  Wow!  I’m actually an empty nester.  No more planning meals for a family.  I eat whatever I have a taste for each day.  Not more running my kids around to lessons and events.  I plan according to my own calendar.  No more little league, junior choir, Halloween costumes, parent/teacher conferences, middle of the night blanket checks or event the sound of the front door opening followed by a hug and the one-word answer to “how was your day?” - “fine”.

Now I sit quietly in my morning prayer time with Jesus and simply ask, “What’s next?”  I want the big boom answer followed by an unexpected phone call or email that would make everything clear.  But instead, I hear the still, small voice saying, “Trust me.”  I chuckle to myself because I’d already known God wouldn’t give me the entire agenda.  That’s just never been how we roll.  He’d simply put a desire in my heart for the first step followed by grace and favor to reveal each step afterward.  More than anything, He wants me to trust Him with each step.  After all, if we knew the entire story, wouldn’t we find a way to manipulate it?  Wouldn’t we try to tell God how to best orchestrate the details?  Sure, He gave me a vision, yet He only told me to write it down so an angel may run with it.  (Habakkuk 2:2)  

So when folks ask me, “What’s next?” I simply tell them that I’m waiting for instructions for my next move.  Sure, I have a vision and I’m putting faith into action each day, but most importantly, I have trust in the One who holds the plan.  I trust Him to guide me in moving forward with each step, so that is what I'll do - trusts Him with “what’s next”.  If you have found yourself in this same place in a particular area of your life, simply ask God what to do next.  He may not reveal the entire plan, but trust Him with the next step.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, 

plans to give you a hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

Love Always,

Shy

http://lovealwaysshy.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovealwaysshy/