“It is what it is”. I have heard this phrase frequently in the last decade or so. Typically, this phrase is used in a way that seems like the person either has decided that there is no other option or in a way that shows them giving up in frustration, or in a way that shows they are powerless to change the situation. I am not the biggest fan of this phrase. I am by no means an optimist, but I also feel the strong desire to say in response, “But it doesn’t have to be”.

I read a book about 15 years ago called Learned Optimism, by Martin Seligman. In this book, Martin shows how he came about a theory called Learned Helplessness. This theory of learned helplessness happens after someone experiences repeated negative events that they cannot control. They develop a belief that they are powerless to change their situation, even when opportunities to do so become available. This belief can lead to passivity and a reduced ability to cope with new challenges.

This was so powerful for me to learn in my younger adult years. I was most definitely living in a way of helplessness and this book helped me to see things in a different light. I came to believe that there were always options to every situation. I worked hard to think outside of the box and see the bigger picture in my circumstances. This thought process empowered me to become more independent in ways that mattered and empowered me to know that I could always find another way through a difficult circumstance.

Here is an example of finding a way through a difficult circumstance: A few Independence Day’s ago, there was a mass shooting at a 4^th of July Parade. One particular story really impacted me deeply. There was a family with a child in a wheelchair. As the family tried to run to safety, the wheelchair fell on its side with their small child. Anyone that has a child in a wheelchair knows how heavy it is and how dangerous this situation could become. When a gun is involved, there are precious seconds to get to safety. My heart wept for this family.

Another family was separated, the father grabbing a child and running in one direction; the mother grabbing a child and running the opposite direction. The father dropped his phone in the chaos and they could not communicate with each other as they hid in different locations not knowing if their loved ones were safe or not.

Now, we live in a time where these tragic situations are becoming more common. How can I change my “It is what it is” mentality in this situation. I refuse to never go out into the community because of my fear, how can I change something bigger than me? The Spirit whispered to me, “make a safety plan”. This inspiration empowered me to take control of my fear of the “what if” and to make a plan with my children as to what we would do if this ever happened.

It didn’t take the fear away, but it changed how it was presented in my body, because now, I had a plan to present any time it came. This actually really worked for me. I don’t have to be afraid to go out in my community and if a shooting happened, I would be able to turn my creative part of my brain on instead of giving to my fight or flight part of my brain, which would help me to see clearly the best way to safety. I hope this example helps to make clear my point.

On Monday, I was taking a small break after homeschool. It happened to be Monday after Palm Sunday and my social media feed was full of beautiful posts about Jesus Cleansing the Temple. As I was reading and watching these wonderful videos and reels on my social media feed, I thought about the money changers, those that sold the animals for sacrifices, and those that sold food in the markets to the throngs of travelers that had arrived for the Passover. There most was definitely corruption and greed taking place among these vendors on the holy grounds of the temple.

I recently watched Season 5 of The Chosen: The Last Supper. Spoiler Alert!

They did a great job portraying the scene where Jesus cleanses the temple by upturning tables, freeing the animals, and clearing out all that sold and bought from the temple.  However, before this happened, some of the disciples went to go purchase their animals for sacrifice and some friends with them needed to change their money. The Chosen creators did a great job showing what the corruption and greed might have looked like at that time. I could almost imagine the disciples shrugging as if to say, “It is what it is”, when their new friends were surprised at the outrageous additional charges for money changing and then negotiating with the vendors for animal sacrifices.

As I was reading through the wonderful posts of social media yesterday, the thought came into my mind: “Jesus didn’t accept it for what it was. He refused to accept things as they were and He demanded better”. He did the Father’s will. He was not there to make friends, or to please everyone around Him. He was there to be an example. He is the ultimate example for us to follow. He did everything to fulfill the will of the Father. He was not distracted by the temptations of His day. Are we paying close attention to His life?

Now I want to share with you what I got to read about in most of the social media posts from yesterday. Almost all of them talked about Jesus cleansing the Temple and then asked a question. They asked what we might need to cleanse from our own life. What distractions, temptations, iniquities, and uncleanliness have we let sneak into our own metaphorical temple? I loved this! What a great way to think outside of the box and to really come to an honest place with ourselves about what we might need to purge from our life.

Growing up, my family made a big move almost every 3-4 years. It was a great opportunity to purge unneeded things. We had a certain weight that we could take on the moving truck, so that gave us motivation to look at all of our things and decide just how important they were to us. I became very good at this and even now, I find myself purging things from the house that we do not need a couple of times a year.

I started making big changes to my life over 20 years ago. One of those changes was to turn away from my life that had been filled with sin, loneliness, hopelessness, anger, shame, and hurt. I turned towards the direction of His light, and my life has never been the same.

Sometimes, things sneak into my life that I need to purge, and I don’t recognize it at first. Once I recognize it and rid myself of these things, I am filled with peace. I’m so grateful for my moving experiences in my youth. It was really hard to move around and start over again with friends growing up. Yet, there were many blessings to be had from these experiences. I learned great skills to help me in my adult life.

What things are you needing to purge from your life? What is keeping you from feeling His light daily? Is something specific coming to mind? Is it something that you can part with? I promise you that if you are willing and do the work to remove it from your life, you will feel His light in a more constant way.