OPTIMISM

Numbers 6:1-7:89; Mark 12:38-13:13; Psalm 49:1-20; Proverbs 10:27-28

 “May the Lord bless you and protect you.
 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.”

“But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.  A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

“Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless,
leaving all their wealth behind.
 The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever….  But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave.”

“Optimist: a person who cannot be beaten because they simply will not be beaten.  One who sees the best in every situation.  A redeemer.”

I have no idea how Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary really defines “optimist.”  But I know one when I see one, and I know I need more of that kind of positive mental attitude in my life.  Where does that unsinkable character come from?  I suspect it comes from a secure self-image and an ability to see beyond one’s self and the present circumstances.  An optimist is more than a visionary, though.  The best optimists have faith in something bigger than themselves, and an unwavering confidence that things will eventually work out for the best.

Christians, then, should be the most optimistic people in the world.  We know what it means to be redeemed.  We know the Redeemer personally, and we have a share in His victory over sin and death.  We have the Holy Spirit speaking for us and through us.  We truly have been blessed by God.  

Yet many of us remain consumed by responsibilities and obligations.  We let ourselves get sucked back into a life of legalism.  We substitute intellectual wisdom for spiritual sensitivity.  Then, we wonder why we are depressed instead of optimistic.

There is good news.  Redemption is not a one time or a sometime thing.  It is always available to make things new.  We are not bound to repeat our failures, nor do we have to wallow in guilt for them.  Christ can and will snatch us from the power of the grave, if we will but allow it.

Just for today, let’s try an experiment.  Let’s test our optimism quotient.  Keep track of negative and positive thoughts, and decide what the ratio suggests about our relationship with Christ.  God did not save us so we could be the spiritual equivalent of Debbie Downer, consumed with the negatives.  He saved us to live in victory with Him!  If we are not optimistic about the victory, maybe it is because we have taken our eyes off the Redeemer who won it for us, and the blessings which flowed to us as a result.