Have you ever heard the phrase it is what it is? It is one of those silly redundancies that we hear from time to time that makes a profound statement in a rather simple way. It is a phrase that sums up a situation without any frills or embellishments by simply stating reality.

  It's popular within the circles of coaches, business executives, and those of us who just want to say, "It's happened.' I'm going to forget about it. I'm going to move on. There is nothing that can be done about it."

  "When NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson finished second in the Nextel Cup championship, he said, We showed up and gave 100%, and it is what it is."

  Sometimes situations are too difficult to explain; in fact, they defy explanation! Consider two women who were discussing the problem one was having with her man friend: "So what's the deal with you and Bobby? I thought you guys were together, but then someone said you broke up, and then somebody else told me you were broken up but 'friends with benefits, so what's the true relationship status? Girlfriend: It is what it is.

  There is a dark side to this simple phrase as well. Those who respond, "It is what it is," are generally frustrated with the difficulties life has presented them to the point of resignation. It is what it is: a statement of acceptance of a circumstance as inevitable and therefore unchangeable.

  Thankfully, God does not operate on the dark side of life. He is the God of the second chance, the extreme makeover, and the second time around. He is the God who helps us change "what is" into "what can be."

  We rejoice in the fact that we serve a God who can take the "is" and make it better. We are not doomed to defeat or a failed life that we must accept; we can turn to Jesus, and He will lead us every step of the way.