It is What It Is

Good Morning “New Life Nation!”

The esteemed and noted black author and poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar had this to say about accepting life as it is: “A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in. A minute to smile and an hour to weep in. A pint of joy to a peck of trouble, And never a laugh but the moans come double. And that is life. A crust and a corner that makes love precious, With a smile to warm and tears to refresh us, And joy seems sweeter when cares come after, And a moan is the finest of foils for laughter. And that is life.” 

In essence, I truly believe that Brother Dunbar echoes the sentiments of the Apostle Paul when he writes, “…for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have!” (Philippians 4:11) Both Paul Laurence Dunbar and the Apostle Paul agree that we must learn to accept the challenges of life regardless of what it may bring our way. In other words, “It is what it is!” Too oftentimes, we as believers get caught up in making future plans, but fail to place our future in the hands of God. The scripture clearly states in the Book of James 4:14-15, “We do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” In essence, we must take each day at a time. Certainly, we should live each day to the fullest and it is certainly wise to give prayerful and careful consideration to future things, but the “bottom line” is that we should always place God as the primary source of our direction and at the center of the planning stage of our lives.

Perhaps you’re reading this and you thought that your life would be much further along than it is. Well, the answer is simple, God is not surprised, nor is He caught off guard about your current status or whereabouts. Because God loves you so much, He included an “exit plan” for every “error of entrance” that has affected your life! That’s good news because that means that God has a spiritual strategy for you to get back on track if somehow you’ve deviated from His divine course of direction. Simply put, you can’t mess up the plans that God has for you. Whatever you’re experiencing in life, “Learn to Embrace what you Face!”

 ·         If you’re facing a job lay-off, just embrace it. That’s life, “It is what it is!”

·         If sickness has ravaged your body or the body of a loved one. It’s tough. But, be like Job in chapter 13:15,“Though you slay me, yet will I trust you!” but trust God to see you through it. “Job says, It is what it is!”

·         If they walked out of your life? Guess what?...that means they were never tied to your destiny! “It is what it is!”

·         If you’ve been abused, forsaken, and even cast aside, don’t focus on your past; live in the present and trust God for your future! “It is what it is!”

·         If you are depressed today, or stressed today, STOP worrying and LIVE BLESSED TODAY! Jesus said, “In this world you will have TRIBULATION, but Be of GOOD CHEER; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD!” John 16:33

In other words, Jesus is telling us to accept what life may bring, “It is what it is!!

Be encouraged today…

Yours in Christ,

Pastor McKnight

“Impacting Lives for the Cause of Christ!