The Optimist In Me

I’m one of those sickening optimists. You know, those embittering people who wake you up too early singing an annoying song like, “rise and shine, and give God the glory, glory” or “this is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made ...” Yeah, that’s right - I’m one of them. But unlike Pangloss, being an optimist doesn’t stop me from being honest about the genuine state of things. I am learning to be real before others and before God. I am learning to actively acknowledge the good and the bad and to cast them all before the Lord. And ultimately, I am learning to take joy even in the trying circumstances because “the LORD gives and the LORD takes away” (Job 1:20). Though it takes a good measure of faith to be a true optimist, it also takes reason to reconcile it. So, Pangloss - can this really be “the best of all possible worlds”?

We must begin by examining the possibilities. It doesn’t take long to conclude that our current state of affairs doesn’t show much potential for improvement. We are still the same carnal human beings that we always have been, and our world will remain broken as long as we continue in this depraved cycle. We are broken. Consequentially, so is our world.

The possibilities aren’t looking very promising for the optimist. Oh, but the optimist in me presses forward, insisting that there has to be something better ...

But do we dare to believe that there is something better? The pope in the faith reading thinks not: “One who believes what is impossible to believe is a lie.” But he’s depraved too, so this optimist shall proceed for a solution. I think I found it in Luke 1:37: “For nothing is impossible with God.” Sorry, Sir Pope, but it looks like you’re outnumbered. Could God really be the possibility we’re looking for?

If our world is simply stuck in a continuous depraved cycle, then we must look beyond it to find true reconciliation. We must be reasonable enough to conclude that we need faith to examine the possibilities. It appears that the last time our world was perfect was in Genesis 2. Though the “best of all possible worlds” was long ago, there is redemption. And we, as followers of Christ, are redeemed out of this depraved cycle and sent into a compelling lifelong mission to be a part of His Kingdom come on earth.

His Kingdom - and the life spent in getting there - is truly the best of all possible worlds.

So maybe, it’s not just optimism, but faith and reason working hand-in-hand for a common cause. Yes, I’m convinced - it is possible.

---I commented on Lucas' post, 'Reasonably moving along now."---