Dear Friends,
Optimism is a God given gift, one that all of us have the opportunity to embrace and enjoy. For optimism is another way of seeing God’s all embracing, giving nature, of experiencing the abundance of spirit and creativity at the heart of creation.
Optimism is the spontaneous flow of love; optimism also represents trust in love. This shows that love trusting love is optimism. Jesus speaks about optimism in his teachings, especially when he tells of God’s abundance in creation. [i]
For Jesus was completely open and present to God’s care of him and of all creation. In Jesus, there was no limit to what God can and will do. He realized that one of the real problems in life, one of the agents of decay and evil, is fear. Fear in all its various forms, but especially that fear which tells us that we have to be fearful in order to protect ourselves from danger, from hurt, from lack of resources, from starving. Often fear comes from disappointment, from hurt, from loss. Optimism gives a hopeful attitude to life, while with pessimism one sees darkness on one’s journey. No doubt, pessimism can show care, and caution and even cleverness, and it can show experience too, But these tools, such as caution and care, will never overcome the difficulties one meets in one’s life; ultimately it is trust in God, the developing of optimism and faith in God’s love and abundance, that solves life’s problems. Pessimism comes naturally to some of us and it is easy to be pessimistic in this crazy and relentless world of ours. But pessimism is another way for us to deny God’s love and grace, for it tends to be distrustful, doubting and cynical in our outlook. The assumption for one who tends to pessimism is that life is hopeless and that our chance of success is slim to none. Pessimism encourages a ‘me first’ attitude for pessimism is the heart of the ego, that part of our personality and identity which doubts and even denies God’s work in this world. And that means that it is a call of death rather than a call of life.
Even when we have troubles that seem insurmountable, that appear impossible, still there is a chance that we can learn how to overcome it, that we may find an opening that we could not see before. Sometimes it is simply a question of our bearing with it and letting it transform us. Today there is a challenge facing our church, a challenge that we did not ask for but which has to be dealt with. This is what life does to us and with us. It asks more of us than we think we can deal with, but more often than not we are wrong. For when it comes to it, we can deal with it, we can bear up, we can rise up to meet the challenge we face and so become something more, greater even, than we were before. The psychological effect of optimism is such that it helps to bring success, for it is by the spirit of optimism that God created the world. Optimism comes from God and pessimism comes from humanity and its limited view of life. For what is life? Life is an opportunity, and to the optimistic person this opportunity is a promise, while for the pessimistic person, the opportunity is often lost. It is not that God causes man to lose it, it is man himself who fails to seize the opportunity, often from fear or suspicion or too much caution. [ii]
Our life of limitation in the world, the nature of this world’s comforts and pleasures which are so changeable and unreliable, and the falseness that one finds in so much of life- if one complained about it, a whole lifetime would be too short to complain about it fully; every moment would be needed to cover all the complaints we have. But the way out is to look at the cheerful side of it, the bright side. Especially for those of us who are religious or spiritual, for those who seek for God and for meaning in life. We need not worry about how bad someone is, for how wrong they are or for how awful life is. For if we simply look into the heart of God, which is behind all we see and hear and feel and think, how can we really think that there is no hope. For when we look into what is really at work, behind the scenes, we cannot help but see God’s actions and creativity and miracles, there in justice, in love, in grace and in hope.
By looking at life with hope yet realistically, we can continue to grow and become more spirit filled in our lives. For it is not by being happy all the time that we become optimistic, it is by being honest about our lives and its challenges while at the same time allowing God’s grace to inform us and let the hope and joy that grace brings us, inform our response to life’s challenges. This is what Jesus did all the time. [iii]
Pastor Burke Owens
[i]“Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 There is more to life than food and more to the body than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither plant nor harvest, they have no silo or barn, yet God feeds them. You are worth so much more than birds! 25 Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?[d] 26 If you can’t do such a small thing, why worry about the rest? 27 Notice how the lilies grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. 28 If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, how much more will God do for you, you people of weak faith! 29 Don’t chase after what you will eat and what you will drink. Stop worrying. 30 All the nations of the world long for these things. Your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, desire his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights in giving you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Make for yourselves wallets that don’t wear out—a treasure in heaven that never runs out. No thief comes near there, and no moth destroys. 34 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be too. Luke 12: 22-34 [ii] 7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened. 9 Who among you will give your children a stone when they ask for bread? 10 Or give them a snake when they ask for fish? 11 If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. 12 Therefore, you should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7: 7-12 [iii] ‘I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you 45 so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.’ Matthew 5: 44-48
[i]“Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 There is more to life than food and more to the body than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither plant nor harvest, they have no silo or barn, yet God feeds them. You are worth so much more than birds! 25 Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?[d] 26 If you can’t do such a small thing, why worry about the rest? 27 Notice how the lilies grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. 28 If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, how much more will God do for you, you people of weak faith! 29 Don’t chase after what you will eat and what you will drink. Stop worrying. 30 All the nations of the world long for these things. Your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, desire his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights in giving you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Make for yourselves wallets that don’t wear out—a treasure in heaven that never runs out. No thief comes near there, and no moth destroys. 34 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be too. Luke 12: 22-34 [ii] 7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened. 9 Who among you will give your children a stone when they ask for bread? 10 Or give them a snake when they ask for fish? 11 If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. 12 Therefore, you should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7: 7-12 [iii] ‘I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you 45 so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.’ Matthew 5: 44-48