Approaching Life with Optimism and Gratitude

Happier Living Series

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.—Romans 15:13

The issue

It’s true that we may not be responsible for many of the things that happen to us, but as Christians we are responsible for the way we react to whatever comes our way. In fact, whether you have a positive or negative outlook on life can have a lot to do with whether you overcome your problems or whether you are overcome by them. Our joy and peace are found in our faith in Christ and His presence in our lives, and not in the circumstances of our everyday lives (Galatians 5:22).

Rick Warren wrote the following about how to approach life with “godly optimism”:

We tend to feel the way we expect to feel. We see what we expect to see. We hear what we expect to hear. We act the way we expect to act. We set ourselves up for failure or success—for fulfillment or frustration—depending on our level of faith. Living by faith means expecting the best.

Matthew 9:29 says, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” Faith is positive expectation. You expect God to answer. You expect the solution to come through. You expect things to work out. … Expectations are faith.

As Christians, we don’t believe that everything in life will turn out well, no matter how much faith we have. That’s just not a reality in a world full of sin. But we can be confident that God is working [all things together] for our good. We can trust him with our future because he knows better than we do what is best for us—and he will help us become more like him.

Living by faith does not mean you wear rose-colored glasses. It means you trust that God is always working, so you can expect things to work out just as he intends them to. That can give you great confidence. That truth can build your faith.

To become a godly optimist, expect God to work in your life and in the world. Expect him to keep his promises. Expect that he wants to accomplish his will through you. And expect him to provide everything you need to do that.—Rick Warren¹

Think about it…

• If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the one million people who will not survive this week.
• If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, or the pangs of starvation, you have not had to live through what over 900 million people in the world have.
• If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 25% of the people in this world.
• If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over 770 million people in the world who cannot read at all.

What the Bible says...

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.—Philippians 4:8

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.—Philippians 4:11–13

An attitude of gratitude

Whenever we are tempted to complain about whatever our problems are, it’s very easy to find others with much greater problems than ours. And if we take the time for this little exercise in comparison, we will likely feel better and be more thankful for all our blessings! Even when it comes to our biggest challenges, we can think of countless others who have much worse problems than ours. No matter how difficult the circumstances we are facing, we are always better off than millions of other people in the world, and this reminder helps us to be aware and thankful for how God is working in our lives, and to count our blessings, as the following story illustrates.

“I used to worry a lot,” says Harold Abbott of Webb City, Missouri. “But one spring day I was walking down West Dougherty Street when I saw a sight that banished all my worries. It happened in ten seconds, but during those ten seconds I learned more about how to live than I had learned in the previous ten years!

For two years I had been running a grocery store. I not only lost all my savings, but I was heavily in debt. In fact, my store had been closed the previous Saturday, and now I was going to the bank to borrow money so I could go to Kansas City to look for a job.

I walked like a beaten man. I had lost all my fight and faith. But then suddenly, I saw coming down the street a man who had no legs. He was sitting on a little wooden platform equipped with roller skates for wheels. He propelled himself along the street with a block of wood in each hand. I met him just after he had crossed the street and was starting to lift himself up a few inches over the curb to the sidewalk. As he tilted his wooden platform to an angle, his eyes met mine. He greeted me with a grand smile, “Good morning, Sir! It is a fine morning, isn’t it?” he said with spirit!

As I looked at him, I realized how rich I am. I have two legs. I can walk. I felt ashamed of my self-pity. I said to myself, “If he can be happy, cheerful and victorious without legs, I certainly can with legs.” I could already feel my chest lifting. I had intended to ask the bank for only one hundred dollars. But now I had courage to ask the bank for two hundred! I had intended to say that I wanted to go to Kansas City to try to get a job. But now I announced confidently that I wanted to go to Kansas City to get a job. I got the loan, and I got the job!

I now have the following words pasted on my bathroom mirror, and I read them every morning as I shave: “I had the blues because I had no shoes, until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet.”—Dale Carnegie²

Think about it…

• To be content, just think how happy you would be if you lost everything you have right now, and then got it back again!
• It isn’t what you have in your pockets that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.
• We can lose everything in this world and yet suffer no loss in comparison to the gain we receive in Christ (Philippians 3:8).

What the Bible says…

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.—1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.—Proverbs 17:22

*

Ask God to make you a truly grateful person every day—and you will be, as you turn regularly to God’s Word, the Bible, and discover just how much God loves you. Even when hard times come (and they will), we still can thank God for giving us the hope and strength we need. Don’t let gratitude become the missing ingredient in your life. Instead, focus on Christ and the hope we have in Him—and thanksgiving will fill your soul. The Bible says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful” (Hebrews 12:28).—Billy Graham Foundation

Published on Anchor November 2024. Read by John Laurence.

Posted in: audio, contentment, faith, other author, positive thinking, praise and thanksgiving

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