Pessimists believe they are in touch with reality. They like to think that they see the whole picture. “Eeyore” is their prophet. Pessimists believe that optimists are those who are simply living unaware of the trouble all around them. “Tigger” might be their holy man. These two camps have always existed and rarely convert one another. But both kinds of thinking are unhealthy for the believer.
In our walk with Christ we are continually assaulted with questions, doubts, fears, struggles. For pessimists, sometimes the mere anticipation of possible new struggles is enough to send them over the edge into discouragement and frustration.
Manipulating one’s thinking or widening one’s perspective sometimes helps. Sure there are others with bigger challenges and problems all around us; sure we are lucky in so many respects; but the burden or anticipated burden of our own immediate lives can still be overwhelming. Surprisingly, people are often overwhelmed by a collection of little things more so than one or two big things. You and I can slog along covered with the barnacles of past failures, deadlines, family expectations, crying children and barking dogs, spilled coffee, and car repairs. Ever present, too, is the guilt that we are not “living victoriously” or “fruitfully.” Sometimes one is tempted to conclude that life is too hard—and looks to remain that way for the foreseeable future. Low and behold, as soon as that sorry conclusion arrives another complication pops up. . . “Great, now life is harder.”
I have just described a very common spiritual problem: it is called “unbiblical thinking.” “Outstanding!” you may be thinking. “Thanks for diagnosing another failure.”
As a recovering “realist” (what pessimists prefer to call themselves), I feel your pain. In my efforts to see the whole picture, I often lean toward the negative. Let us understand from the beginning, however that neither pessimism nor optimism are ultimately useful (especially pessimism). Believers are best served by biblical thinking.
Paul’s letter to the Philippians gives us some key instructions about biblical thinking.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:4-9 ESV
Paul lists “rejoicing” and “thanksgiving” as great perspective changers. Especially in prayer! If our prayers are a constant reiteration of what needs fixing in the world and our lives, prayer becomes depressing. Paul also tells us that God’s peace guards our hearts and minds (so it isn’t just a mental exercise on our part); in the middle of the passage Paul encourages us to think about positive things—not the negative ones. We pray and give God the things that make us anxious. We praise and thank Him for who He is and what He does. We also must be careful to practice this kind of behavior.
It would be remiss to not acknowledge the value of putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6) in this context. The passages complement one another. Believers are constantly under siege from an enemy that wants us behaving defensively and despairingly. He is constantly shooting darts and arrows of doubt, confusion, anxiety and mistrust in an effort to get us to disengage the battle. He tries to “shock and awe” us away from the battle field knowing his position and weapons are too weak against the kingdom of Jesus. The evil one works constantly trying to undermine our thinking. But biblical thinking is a gift God provides to help us remain connected to Him and His power.
A practical narrative that illustrates this kind of thinking comes from the fourteenth chapter of the book of Joshua. Caleb, at eighty-five years of age, asks Joshua for permission to attack and take possession of the land promised him by Moses forty-five years earlier.
And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”
Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. Joshua 14:10-14 ESV
The story of Caleb is brought into sharp relief by a similar narrative from Joshua 17 (vs.14-18). There the tribe of Joseph requested more land and Joshua offered them land presently occupied by their enemies. Rather than embracing the gift and provision of God and relying on His power as Caleb had, the tribe complained that the people on their new land were “strong” and had “iron chariots.” Iron implements (especially chariots) were a decided advantage in war—and few countries had access to iron and the means to smelt it. The people of Israel were still using bronze tools and would do so for several decades in the future. So, Josephs’ observation was a valid one. But they made it a confining and determining condition of their obedience. After all, conventional wisdom believed that fighting against iron chariots was just plain crazy . . .
Honestly, were chariots (of any kind) a problem for God? Their objection reveals they were looking at the chariots and not at God. They looked at their earthly problems and not at the God of the universe.
Swimming pools are a welcome relief on a hot and sweltering day. They can be an instant source of refreshment, but one has to jump in to enjoy the benefits.
Pools, however, are inherently dangerous. One must be able to float or swim. The chemicals in the pool need to be balanced, and pools tend to be too shallow for diving. Knowing all those factors, I have stood at the edge of the pool with each of my children and encouraged them to jump in. I did so because
· I was there
· I knew the water was safe
· The chemicals were balanced
· I always caught them and returned them to the safety of the edge of the pool
The first few times, my kids focused on the water (and their fears) as they jumped. Eventually, however, they began to focus on the one catching them—even scooting dad back further from the edge as they jumped further and further out into that dangerous pool. Perspective and focus changed. It’s all a matter of what fixes your attention.
In our walk of faith, believers are continually asked to choose Faith or Fear, Promise or “Reality”, and are asked to choose upon what to place their attention: God at work or the “impossible” task(s) or challenge(s).
Pessimism is Satan’s way of wresting our attention away from the God of all possibilities to focus on that which confuses and dispirits us. Optimism isn't much better; it overestimates our own abilities and discounts the value of iron chariots. Biblical thinking, by contrast, recognizes the threats for what they are, but more importantly, expends more energy and focus on recognizing God for who He is. Oh, how God longs for us to truly know, understand, and trust Him. What new doors that perspective opens!
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1,2 ESV
