FAITH DEMANDS OPTIMISM

 

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi 

Josh 14:11 KJV “As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.”

        Caleb was promised a portion of land as a forty-five year old soldier and it took forty years for this to materialize .At age eighty-five, he was willing and ready to engage the enemy in a battle to claim the promised land. What optimism! How long have you been waiting for the fulfillment of a promise in your life ?

        Following Jesus Christ requires walking by faith and this requires being optimistic. An optimist is a person with a positive outlook on life. He or she always looks out for the good in a situation no matter how bad it may seem;the opposite is a pessimist. Optimism is a mental attitude or perspective . A common idiom used to illustrate optimism against pessimism is a glass with water at the halfway point, where the optimist is said to see the glass as half full and the pessimist sees the glass as half empty.

   Life does not always come with guarantees, good things happens to bad people and bad things happens to the good. Eccl 9:11-12 TLB says “the swiftest person does not always win the race, nor the strongest man the battle, and that wise men are often poor, and skillful men are not necessarily famous; but it is all by chance, by happening to be at the right place at the right time. “ The fact that you failed in a marriage , business , academic or other endevour does not mean you are a bad person and therefore blame worthy .Sometimes great footballers  fail to score in a penalty shootout. Great business models have been known to fail. Education, beauty and skill cannot guarantee success , that is why the just shall live by faith.  

     The scriptures speaks of the unpredictability of life in  James 4:13-16 NIV “Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."  As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil” Your best plans will often fall apart because disappointments are part of life. Some of the greatest scientific discoveries such as space technology were achieved after many disappointing expeditions but they were eventually accomplished through optimism    

       Therefore, optimists are never surprised or set back when things go wrong, they are persistent and quick to pick up the pieces and continue .They never feel sorry for themselves and take full responsibility for every situation in their chosen path. They never blame others for their shortcoming or make excuses. Optimists look for the reasons why they could not fulfill their responsibilities and improve on them. They always seek for the good in every situation that’s why they are always in control. Caleb had learnt a valuable lesson for 40 years: the importance of being at the right place at the right time with the right people and doing the thing: he was very sure that he will surmount the opposition and he did. Optimists are driven by the conviction that “…he is faithful that promised (Heb.10:23)” 
Prayer : Heavenly Father forgive me of my sins against you I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation I receive him as lord and saviour and receive the Holy Spirit and  grace for stability ,hope and overflowing peace in the midst of crisis in Jesus name.

Prayer / counseling +2348035536911, +2348098536911(whatsapp) email:michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com