Tis gar plen! : So what!

Picture by Aaron Peck www.carpdime.com

We all have “whats” that happen in our life where we are left wondering the "whys" of it all.  Those things in life that attempt to rob us of our joy.  You know those moments. The one when the storm rips the roof right off the house, God knows there is no money to pay for the damages yet He allows it to happen anyway kind of moments?  Those moments come for everyone at some point in life. Moments that leave us asking why. Moments that attempt to rob us of our joy.  If only we could understand the “whys” of it all, it might make the “whats” easier to handle.  Wouldn't it be great if when we found ourselves in the middle of those “whats” we could say, “So what!  God’s got this!”  Guess what?  We can!

Throughout the years, I‘ve learned that understanding the whys are not important as long as I trust God with "the what" of it all.  Realizing that whatever is taking place right now has a purpose and is part of a bigger plan allows me to endure the obstacles before me. God always has a why behind the what and though I may not understand the why, I can trust God completely with my what and even ask Him "now what?" What would you want me to learn from this?  

Now, when obstacles appear in my path I see them as divine opportunities, in which God will show Himself not just to me but to those around me as well if I choose to trust Him and give Him control of the situation.  When the setbacks come, I see them as setups for God to be glorified in my life.  God wants to use me to make a difference. God has a plan. What great joy I have found in my whys as I have seen that no matter how horrible or evil the circumstances, whatever Satan intended for harm, God will use for His glory and it will be made right if I give it all to Him. It is all about perspective. It is a mind shift.  It is about learning to say, Tis Gar Plen! Loosely translated this Greek phrase means “SO what!”  It is the phrase  Paul used when he was informed that the “super-apostles” were building up their following by taking advantage of the fact that he was in prison.  In Philippians 1:18 Paul's response is simply, so what! He realized that at the end of the day, it does not matter.  He was not going to lose sleep over it and He was definitely not going to allow it to steal his joy! God had much bigger plans for Paul and in the midst of it all, jealous “super-apostles” were nothing.  

So when life throws a curve ball, instead of freaking out about it, you can say, “So what!” (Tis Gar Plen!)”  (Philippians 1:12-18)  What does it matter? In the end, whatever hand we are dealt, we can be certain God has a purpose.  He has a plan.  He is in control.  In the end, everything is going to be ok!