Things are Looking Up with Optimism and Hope

We are known as an optimistic family. We reinforced optimism in our children with “You are champions. You can do anything if you set your heart and mind to it. With God all things are possible.” We purposely speak “God is good — all the time” regardless of sunshine or rain, joy or sorrow, win or defeat. 

Now, I have a greater, healthier sense of respect for the concept of hope even more than optimism. To be optimistic about our lives will serve us well, mentally and physically. But when we’re holding onto the last strand of the rope in our circumstances and when we need a powerful shot of an energy drink to keep us holding a little longer, there is no substitute for hope. So here, let me offer you an energy drink from the Springs of Living Water found in God’s Word: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28).

Looking back at my own life — every defeat, every pain, every disappointment, resulted in eventual good. Now I know God is actively working to bring good out of whatever happens in our lives. So we grab hold of hope and that truth again: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28). That scripture isn’t saying that every event in our life will be good. But it does say that when we put our whole life together, every piece of it works together for good. It’s like making a cake. We may not like the taste of each ingredient — but when it’s all put together, we can’t keep our hands off of it. God wants to bake an amazingly tasty cake with our lives, and He wants to use even the distasteful and bitter ingredients to do it. 

God also doesn’t say that everything works together like we want it to or every story will have a happy ending. The reality is not every business decision will make us a million dollars. Not every couple that gets married will live happily ever after. Not every child will become a star athlete. Instead, the verse reminds us that we can have absolute confidence that our Master Chef and Designer causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God. (BTW, this promise is for “those who love God,” not for those who don’t.)

Hope is the absolute confidence that every part of our lives will ultimately make sense. From our vantage point, life looks like a mess at times. But God’s view is the finished cake — so tasty, so good. We can’t even imagine the good that God has in store for our future. Our future is in God’s hands — and there’s no better place for it to be.