Devotional -

The Pessimist and the Optimist ( 2 July )

About this Devotional
Difficult times await those who trust in people, expect to manage things on their own, and allow their attention to wander from the Lord. In fact, such people are like a bush in the desert, trying to grow where no one lives, in a hot and dry land with bad soil. They don't even notice when things go well.
But what blessing awaits you if you will only trust the Lord and let him be the source of your confidence! Such people are like a tree on the riverbank: They just stay fresh all the time. Their roots are so deep and firm that They don't even notice when things get hard.
Like the tree whose leaves stay lush and green even in a year of drought, they won't start to worry when the blessings are not so obvious, and even in negative circumstances they will continue to grow and be fruitful. Jeremiah 17:5-8, author's translation

When I was a boy, before I fell asleep each night I would make a list in my head of all the positive things I had to look forward to the next day. As I grew older I stopped doing that, and I confess that my end-of-the day list now might include more negative things than positive. Sometimes the things awaiting me in the morning even keep me from falling asleep.

I know that we have different personalities and a wide variety of life circumstances. I understand that some people-regardless of their personal faith-naturally tend to see the glass as half full, while others will see the glass as half empty.

Even so, it has never been easy for me to understand how a committed believer in Jesus can be a real pessimist. The things we have to look forward to in the future are so overwhelmingly beautiful and positive. "What no one ever saw or heard, what no one ever thought could happen, is the very thing God prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

But even in the short term-that sleep-robbing tomorrow morning-we have the promise that God will always be with us. Where are my roots growing? Where am I looking? Do I focus on the circumstances, on the hard decisions ahead? May we be able to focus on our faithful and loving Lord so that we see the problems for what they are: things he will help us through as he always has.

- 2 JULY -