Why I Am an Optimist

Sometimes I am asked why I am such an optimist. It’s true! I can’t deny it. When I look at the world, something in me remains optimistic and hopeful, even though I see clearly and share the experience of the suffering, violence, evil, sadness, anger, division, and fear that is so pervasive in our world. When I look at the Church (Christ Church and the Church in general) I see many challenges ahead, but I remain optimistic. I cannot give up, or give in, to those things that relentlessly fight hope and optimism in life today. God won’t let me.

Sometimes people think that my optimism comes from naivety; I have not experienced enough of life. Yet, I have known tragedy, disappointment, and sadness.  Members of my family have died much too young. I’ve watched friends suffer through cancer and divorce. I’ve held Andra’s hand and cried in the emergency room after a miscarriage. We’ve sat anxiously in rooms waiting to hear test results. I saw the terrible look of fear on my daughters’ faces that tragic day in Boston when violence was not across the world, but just down the street. I’ve struggled to seek a balance in my duties as a loving father and husband and pastor. I’ve made mistakes along the way. I’ve walked with families experiencing some of life’s greatest sadness: murder, accidents, broken relationships, and serious illness. I’ve poured my heart out in grief to God as I live with the silent and lonely challenges of ministry; the things that most people do not know about leading and guiding a church. It is not that I have experienced more than anyone else. No, so many others have experienced far more. Yet, I’ve certainly seen enough to be discouraged. I’ve seen enough to be afraid. I’ve lived enough to taste the salt of tears rolling down my cheeks. 

Yet something within me remains an optimist, unapologetically. This is who God made me to be. It is an optimism rooted and grounded in the Gospel. As I read the New Testament, I am filled with optimism! The first words in the Gospel of Mark (the earliest of the gospels) are “the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ”. All that follows is how in the face of life’s sadness, sin, tragedy and fear, God is always stronger and He is always with us. With God, there is always resurrection! That is why I am optimistic and why I choose joy. For in the end, all belongs to God.

Together we are the hands and feet of Jesus!

Brett