My gorgeous boyfriend inspires me in many ways, but one thing in particular that has really helped me shift my perspective is how he doesn’t let little things bother him, and has a very forgiving, understanding and calm attitude that moves on very quickly, accompanied by this little phrase “is what it is”. My natural tendency is to dwell on things, overthink things and feel the full emotions sometimes too much in situations. However over the last 5 months I have tried to make the effort to follow his lead when things have gotten cancelled, or plans have had to change, or when extra challenges are thrown our way. The reality in life is that troubles happen, disappointment comes and some days, it seems to just down pour with little frustrations. John 16:33 says “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart for I have overcome the world.” It’s all well and good though to remind ourselves that God wins in the end, but how does that help us deal with the day to day disappointments?
In January, I was supposed to be going to this epic week-long conference that I ended up having to cancel because of covid border closures, but I was able to defer my ticket to the winter program and I was extra excited because my boyfriend also was signed up to go. But on Friday, we got the news that due to covid yet again, the whole conference is cancelled and honestly I am pretty devastated. Since covid first entered the picture, so many things have been cancelled and postponed and it has required many choices to “be positive”, “make the most of it”, “choose joy” and “find the good in the little things” but if I’m being 100% honest with you, I’m really getting tired of it. But on days like Friday, I had a choice to make, yet again. I can choose to be frustrated and grumpy and miserable and feel yucky, or I can choose to say “is what it is”, write a list of all the things I am grateful for, and think of fun ideas we can do instead. As much as I really hate this sometimes, there is hardly anything we can actually control in our lives, and the last year or so has certainly shown just how little control we have. But our response to disappointment and the troubles in this world are something that we can control. So make the most of being able to control something haha and make a good choice!
It’s not always easy to keep pushing through and make the choice to be positive that’s for sure but God’s grace is big enough to cover us even on our hardest days. We don’t get only an allocated amount of grace per day, some days we may only need a little bit because life is smooth, and other days, life is a bit more difficult and we need bucketloads of grace to get us through! 2 Corinthians 12:9 says 'And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.' So when we are faced with hard days and disappointments, we can rest assured that God's grace will help us to take a deep breath, accept the fact that it "is what it is" and God is with us through every single step of it, filling us with His joy and peace.
Another "is what it is" that I've been processing is the reality of being alive and 22 in this crazy time of life. There is so much instability and darkness creeping in, and there are moments where the fear enters about all the 'what ifs' that could come in the future, and moments where I have asked God why couldn't he have put me here on earth back in a simpler time. The very real possibilities of what could come are very daunting and I just want to bury my head in the sand and hide from all the craziness. But every time that these fears cloud my mind, God reminds me of the verse in Esther 4:14 - "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” God put me in Melbourne, Australia, born in 1999 for a reason and even if I don't know exactly why yet, it is what it is and I can trust that God will equip me with all I need to live the life and purpose that He has called me to right here, right now. And wherever you are too, God put you there for a reason too and even when it all feels way too hard, He has the grace to help you face the reality and live out the abundant, full life that He has called you to.
So if today you had an awesome day and everything is wonderful, that is FANTASTIC! But if today you are facing something that seems unfair and too hard, remember that God's grace is sufficient - it is ALL you need, and you will be able to face whatever challenges are ahead! And you can just smile, say 'is what it is' and take another step forward.
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