"It is what it is"

I hear people saying that a lot lately. I probably say it, too. Usually in a resigned voice. The subtext is acceptance of a reality we find difficult to face but are determined to do so. 

I still am reading a collection of sermons by Ellen F. Davis, a daily devotional moment for me. And this morning, I’m thinking about her take on Job and her argument that his story reminds us to pray -- and live -- with our eyes open. If we really can accomplish that, she writes, we won’t need the “verbal teeth-gritting” of “it is what it is.” 

“The life of faith is all about how you see,” Davis says. If we can see God, we may see “more wisdom . . . more possibility” in the reality before us. Which amounts to much more than resignation. It amounts to hope.