Faith is Optimistic

If you have ever had a conversation with a negative person you get the idea that faith does not flourish in that kind of mindset. Instead of having the feeling that things will all work out, there is more of the Eeyore, "oh bother" philosophy. On the other hand, some time spent with someone that sees the glass half full, is likely to assume that things will all work out and faith is easily fostered in their life. The optimist seems to be able to easily grasp the idea that worry is not a good companion of faith. A quick thumb through the scriptures gives you a deeper understanding of how pessimism and worry seem to be directly linked to not having faith.

In Matthew 8 there is not a hint of pessimism in the voice of the Centurion..... 5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."
7 Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
8 The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

I am suspecting if the Centurion had a negative attitude, the poor servant would not have been healed. I bet the Centurion may not have even gone to Jesus asking for a miracle. Rather he would have been like Eeyore and just said to himself, "Oh bother" and taken the woe is me approach to the situation.

In Matthew 14 we read these words...."You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Doubt is not optimism in any form. Ever ask someone to help you with a project only to hear them repeat over and over...." I doubt this will work". You soon would rather do the project yourself rather than hear that kind of negative talk.

We don't seem to be born negative. Little children are so full of hope and the belief that things will turn out o.k. for them. Little children have faith in their parents that they can keep them safe, make things work out o.k. When I was little I was 100% sure there was nothing my father could not handle and I saw the same thing with my girls and Emery and even to this day, there is a security that Dad will be able to make it alright, no matter what it is. We need that sort of childlike faith in God throughout our lives and then we can be optimistic, have fertile ground for unshakable faith.

Hebrews 11: 1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

So when something goes wrong, being negative robs us from looking forward to what God can do. We are in essence saying...."its bad, but its just going to get worse" and where is hope, faith and belief that God is a loving Father in that. We leave no room for faith with negativity filling our hearts. It is almost as if we are non believers.

Look at these sayings that most of us know well, can you find faith in them, hope, optimism ?

"All good things must come to an end."

"All that glitters is not gold."

"As soon as man is born he begins to die."

"Easier said than done."

"Every man is his own worst enemy."

"It never rains, but it pours."

The following verse is not constantly on the lips of a negative person simply because faith and hope seem to be the polar opposite of negativity. But how easily we can imagine a positive person believing just such a text.

James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

Be aware of the direction of your thoughts and speech and replace the negative thoughts and talk with the thoughts and words of an optimistic, person of faith that reflects the belief that God is in control and He his word is true. What do your words and thoughts say about how strong your faith is ?