Does Christmas make you feel Optimistic? Or Hopeful? There IS a difference!

The glass.  You know the one.  Psychologists think you either see it as half-full or half-empty.  That distinction, they say, determines how you view and experience life.  But for some of us, it’s neither.  Instead, our “life-glass” might seem nearly or completely empty.  Or worse still, it seems like life has stomped our little glass to smithereens!  How optimistic can you be then?

Optimism, you see, is based on your assessment of your circumstances, both present and future, in view of your personal expectations.  Optimism is then dependent on at least “seeing light at the end of the tunnel”, so to speak.  We can be optimistic even when life seems to be against us as long as we believe it will get better.  But it’s tough to be an optimist when you discover you have terminal cancer.  Or worse, that your child does.  It’s tough to be optimistic when your finances have tanked just when your job disappears.  Is hope really any different?

While optimism is based on OUR thoughts and feelings and assessment of our futures, hope is based on something outside of ourselves.  When we can believe in something greater than ourselves or our circumstance, HOPE can flourish.  That’s what Christmas is all about.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.   John 1:1-5

THERE is the light at the end of the tunnel you were looking for!  Since before time began, the God who made everything determined to also make Himself personal and knowable to us.  He determined HE would be the Light when there is no other light in your life.  HE would be Life for you when your own life seems to betray you.  And no matter how dark things get, even when optimism fades, HE does not.  Instead of optimism, God brings Hope.

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.² Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.  ³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us….   Romans 5:1-5

When we celebrate the coming of Jesus this time of year, we tend to focus on four promises that the Christ-child brings: Love, Joy, Peace, and Hope.  When Paul wrote these words, I doubt he was thinking specifically about the birth of Jesus.  In fact, the books of Matthew and Luke that describe the birth of Jesus were still years from being written when Paul penned Romans.  But the truth of what Jesus brought us has been there from the beginning – before time began.  Hope, you see, is based on something outside ourselves.  Because the One who offers us hope is the same One who offers us His love from the foundation of the world; His peace through Jesus’ sacrificial life, death and resurrection; and His joy even in the midst of those dark nights when we can’t see any light at all except for His.

Is hope better than optimism?  Absolutely.  Because no matter what, HOPE doesn’t disappoint.  We can hope because God is faithful – even if the glass is shattered.

Celebrating the hope we have in Jesus Christ,

Jacob