The Shunammite woman's grief was perfectly warranted; but there was also nothing ridiculous about her "All is well" when Elisha put her living son in her arms. In thanksgiving, we force ourselves to cling to the moment of resurrection before it reaches us.
-Leta Sundet, "Fierce Gratitude," Thought Meadow, Issue 5.
***
Lately, the phrase "it is what it is" has crept into my vocabulary, a handy non sequitur when things don't go quite the way I'd like. But it's a phrase that kind of bugs me, I think because it's a verbal shrug of the shoulders - life is rough, don't sweat it, just move on. Que sera sera, whatever will be will be. But if I believe in a sovereign God, that doesn't really jive with an it-is-what-it-is attitude. Whatever is, is because God intended it to be. I can rejoice, or get angry, but an emotionless "hey, whatever" doesn't really make a lot of sense. So, maybe I'll try out the Shunammite's "all is well" instead. When a meeting at work goes poorly because I was inadequately prepared, when we hit a major roadblock in our Fairmont trip prep, when Ben & Jerry's doesn't have any of my favorite ice cream flavors (brownie batter, oatmeal cookie chunk, cinnamon bun - in case you were wondering)...all is well. I have a sovereign God, and I can rejoice in his good plans, even when I am exasperated beyond measure.
Thanks, Leta. :)
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