Sunday Postcript
In the sermon on August 2, I mentioned that we have the responsibility to encourage others. Being an encourager involves three elements:

• Continual awareness of God
• Always express hope
• Connect with other people

“Always express hope” may be the most easily misunderstood of the three because we frequently confuse optimism with hope. Optimism is an attitude and hope is a spiritual virtue or truth. Optimism is thinking that everything is going to be fine; hope is the recognition that God is at work in all circumstances including suffering. Optimism is certainly a very good attitude to have in life, but it is not always true. Some things don’t work out. Optimism means you think you are always going to feel better, your problems will diminish, and something good will happen; however, this is not always the case. People die thinking they are going to get better, and occasionally instead something good occurring, “stuff” happens.

Hope does not avoid suffering but gives suffering meaning. God does not shield His people from suffering. He assures us that doing right is never in vain, even if it is not profitable in this life. Optimism says life will be good, and hope acknowledges that everything in your life can be used for God’s glory. Hope makes us aware that in the big picture, including eternity, that which glorifies God will also be for our own good.

Please don’t take this as criticism of being optimistic. It is a great approach to life, but be prepared to be disappointed occasionally. To live optimistically is far better than living pessimistically. Living life with hope is even better still because hope never fails. The cross is the greatest example of hope. Optimism would have assumed that something needed to occur to keep Jesus from dying; hope acknowledges that His death and suffering were real and redemption was the result.

Optimism and hope are not either/or propositions. They are both/and propositions. I encourage you to be optimistic about life in general, but accept the fact that occasionally Chicken Little will be right, and the sky will fall. An even better approach to life is to combine your optimistic attitude with the virtue of hope. Then, when the sky does fall, God will use even those circumstances for redemption.