“It is what it is,” he shrugged. “Nothing we can do about it now.” I sighed in frustration. Was that all? No anger? No complaining? I wanted to bemoan it for awhile. To vent my frustration. But that little phrase sucked the air out of my protest.

“It is what it is”, she said sadly, blinking back tears. “I guess we just go on from here.” Well, yes. But is that all? A simple resignation before quietly moving on?

It’s a popular saying here in the north woods. You hear it frequently in conversation, a neatly tied bundle of words bringing an end to the discussion. “It is what it is,” they say when talking about the weather or the price of eggs or the state of the world. It used to frustrate me every time I heard it.

But there is a lot of wisdom packed into that little phrase.

How much angst would we save ourselves if we camped there for a while? How much drama would we save our family and friends if we skipped over all the ugliness on our way to the place we’ll end up anyway?

It is what it is frees us to move on. To get on with life. To work on solutions instead of stacking up complaints.

“It is what it is,”said Paul. Well, actually he said, “I have learned the secret of being content.”(Philippians 4:11). But still, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that the Christian life isn’t one of resignation, but surrender.

Resignation knuckles under. Gives in. Is weak.

Surrender frees. Carries hope. Is powerful.

Just recently one friend had a huge disappointment, and another faced a health crisis in her family. “It is a stressful time but if I know anything, God meets us where we are at and picks us up when we feel like we can’t go on in the moment,” said one. “I definitely feel relief in the disappointment,” said the other. In other words, It is what it is, and they aren’t going to waste time and energy fighting the inevitable, but instead look for the light coming through the cracks.

And for the Christian, that light always comes through. The most bitter fruit always contains seeds of glory.

We Christians are not stoics. We lament, grieve, and suffer. But, thank God, not without hope. Ours is a resurrection faith. We know this. And because of that, it is what it is can become a statement of determination, not despair.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

It is what it is, graces our lament with space for hope; gives us a foothold on the steep climb toward healing.

It is what it is, is a waypoint. A resting place where we can gather the rubble of our trouble into an altar of surrender as we face whatever tomorrow brings.

Because the fact is, Jesus is in that tomorrow. He holds It is what it is in hands scarred by love. Hands that hold us, and our questions and grief, close to His heart.

It is what it is, indeed. And it will be what it will be, because there is no stopping the joy that is coming on wings of glory, just around the bend.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:1-5