Articles
Eternal Optimists
Of all people on earth, Christians should be the ones with the most optimistic outlook. That is not to say we look at everything with a positive twist, for some things that happen are truly horrific; it is just that we can look beyond the trials and tribulations of life and still have a positive view for what lies beyond and after this earthly life. This view of our earthly life is founded upon what we know as hope.
Harry Truman once said, “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” The reality of the two views is based on the mindset and disposition of the individual. We can either find all the negatives of a situation, or we can choose to look for the positives; the situation and the circumstances are the same. Optimism, by definition, is “a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome,” or, “the belief that good ultimately predominates over evil in the world.” It is not a denial of the reality of the existence of the bad things in life, but rather a decision — a purposeful choice — to look for something good or better. The choice of pessimism or optimism is entirely ours.
And, again, as Christians, we should be the most optimistic — not because we deny reality in the world around us, but because we know and believe that there is something far better that awaits the faithful after this earthly life is ended! To demonstrate this, let us consider a few examples from Scripture.
First, consider the apostle Paul. Here is a man who, by his own words, endured much difficulty in his life as a faithful servant of the Lord. On one occasion when he wrote of his trials, he noted, “five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:25-28). For many people, just one of those things he listed would be enough to give them a sour outlook, but he endured it all! How did this affect him?
Well, this same apostle Paul, when he noted in another place of his hope, noted, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18). Did you catch that? Paul described the trials of this life — which would include the things he listed in the passage previously noted — as “our light affliction.” That, friends and brethren, is optimism!
Consider, also, the faith and hope of the woman who was described as one who “had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.” But, “When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, ‘If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well’” (Mark 5:25-27). That is optimism! [By the way: She was healed!]
And who can forget the young shepherd, David, who went out to meet Goliath the giant in battle, telling him boldly, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands” (1 Sam. 17:45-47). When we consider Goliath was a giant of a man who was described as “a champion…whose height was six cubits and a span” (1 Sam. 17:4) and David was merely a shepherd and unexperienced in battle, we must admit that David had optimism!
But the optimism of which we speak in this short study — that of the true and faithful believer — is not one of merely wishful thinking or fantasy. No, this is true hope — a confident expectation — based on the knowledge of God and His promises. This is a matter of having a positive outlook because of what God has said and because of who God is. Let’s go back to the words of Paul to make a couple of points about this realistic, optimistic view of the believer.
We Do Not Look at the Things That Are Seen, but at the Unseen. It would be easy to be pessimistic if we focused on this sin-filled world; there is much to see that is negative! But Paul had the mind of one who truly had hope, and he chose to, instead, focus on the unseen things of the life that awaits us after this. He chose to focus on the promise of “eternal life” (1 John 2:25) and where “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain” (Rev. 21:4), and we once again “have the right to the tree of life” (Rev. 22:14). He had hope!
The Things Which are Seen Are Temporary, but the Things Which Are Not Seen Are Eternal. Paul chose to focus on the unseen things and not on the things of this world for this very reason. Why focus on things that do not last? Whatever material things we may have here on earth will only fail or fade away or be destroyed, but Paul set his mind on the promised “inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4). One who looks for happiness or contentment in the things of this earth will ultimately be disappointed and might become pessimistic, but the one who sets his mind on the eternal things will never be disappointed. With such a view, it would be hard to not be optimistic!
And as for the trials and difficulties of life, remember that those, too, are merely temporary. One who acknowledges this fact will then be more likely to endure earthly trials and tribulations because he knows they will eventually end. It is, again, not a denial of their reality or their difficulty, but a purposeful choice to look beyond those temporary ills to the promised rest and reward of eternal life in heaven where none of those things will be found.
The confidence of the true and faithful believer does not lie in self, however. The confidence is not in self, but in God! It is God who promised these things, and He is one who speaks only truth (Titus 1:2). When man reads or hears words from one who “cannot lie,” he can have full confidence that what He says will come to pass! That is the very basis of our hope! Is it any wonder, then, that the faithful believer is optimistic?
How about you? Do you have this confident expectation that there is a better life than the one we now live? It is possible — through faith in Christ! — Steven Harper
