“The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser – in case you thought optimism was dead.”
― Robert Brault

 

Somewhere along the way, Christians got a reputation for being negative people. Perhaps we inherited that label from our Jewish forefathers. The rabiis studied the first five books of the Bible and identified 613 commandments that cover nearly every aspect of life. It seems that 365 of them are negative (“Thou shalt not …”) and 248 of them are positive (“Thou shalt …”).

We do it to ourselves too of course. I once knew a preacher who always seemed so angry in his sermons. I asked him why and he announced, “The Apostle Paul told Timothy to ‘reprove, rebuke, and exhort’ (2 Timothy 4:2) and so I believe two out of three sermons ought to be angry!” I’m sad to say, I think he was serious, but I don’t think that’s right. Christians ought to be the most positive people on the planet. Why we have so much to live for we even have something to die for! We’ve read the book and we know how the story ends.

I suppose I’ve always been an optimistic Christian. Along the way, I’ve collected some tidbits that reinforce that view:

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

“What day is it?”
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh. — A. A. Milne

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

“You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.” — Charlie Chaplin

“Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible.” — Albert Einstein

Life isn’t a weary cycle that repeats itself over and over and over again. Jesus plainly told us, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). So, I’m positive – I’m a Christian!