There are slogans that are being used to justify just about anything that concerns our daily living.

Slogans have always been something we can all remember. “Just do it.” “Where’s the beef?” “It’s not over until the fat lady sings.”

No matter what the slogan is, if you say it enough, it becomes part of your belief system. One slogan in particular that I hear more and more often today is “It is what it is.”

To me this slogan is one that limits the situation or imagination and often brings a conversation to a standstill as if to say “What else needs to be said?”

This slogan “it is what it is,” is not one I would use. Coming from a Christian standpoint, it defeats the purpose of “all things are possible to those who believe.”

When you say, “it is what it is,” you are saying that you are settling for whatever the circumstance is or that there is no way, but the one that is presented before you.

Do you remember in the Bible when David came up against Goliath, the giant? What do you think would have happened if he was to have looked at Goliath and said, “he’s too big for me,” or that his small sling and rock wouldn’t hurt the giant?

Suppose he looked at Goliath and said what others were saying — that no small boy could bring down a giant or in other words, it is what it is.

Also, look at Abraham when he presented his son up as a sacrifice. He was so faithful to God that he believed that God was going to intervene in his situation. He believed that surely God would not take away the son he promised him. He strongly believed that no matter what happened; God was on his side. What if he had just said, “it is what it is” and allowed his unbelief to consume not only his son, but everything he believed in?

Well, one remarkable thing both of these men did was not look at their circumstance as a “no way out” situation. They both believed they had a God that was all powerful and that he was on their side no matter what.

What if they had just allowed the “it is what it is” to change the outcome. If they had done this, David’s circumstance would have ended with the giant destroying or killing him and respectively, Abraham would have been without a son.

Just like the two of them, we should not perceive things to be as they look or as others have said it would be.

We should not let the norms or statistics say it’s not so. We should not let negative slogans put a halt on our thoughts and beliefs.

No, it is not what it is or seems to be. If we would just believe that all things are possible and think positively, then our outcomes could change right in front of our eyes, just as it did for David and Abraham.

Read the whole stories of these two biblical characters and you will see that the two of them were up against the world with all sorts of troubles and hardships in their lifetime and still overcame them all.

When it comes to the things that trouble us, we should perceive them as though they are not and not as they are.

In the blink of an eye, our troubles can and will change, just for the asking, to those of us who believe.

Belief is a powerful tool to have in this day and time, just as it was in biblical days.

It has saved a many in the time of need. No matter how bad our circumstances and situations look, don’t stop the progress of allowing things to get better.

Beverly Gibson is a Ferriday resident.