One of my character weaknesses is that I can be pessimistic at times (okay a lot of the time). This is something that God has been really working on me for the last number of years but I know I still have a lot of growing to do in this area.
When things start to go wrong or start to get difficult, it is way to easy for me to head down the familiar path of pessimism.
When I am on the path of pessimism:
- I start to wonder if what I am doing is really making a difference.
- I start to wonder if tomorrow is going to be better than today.
- I start to wonder if all the energy and effort that I put into people is having any impact.
- I start to wonder if it is really worth pursuing my dreams and passions.
- I start to wonder if God is really listening to me when I am pouring out my heart to Him.
I know, not a good path to travel down …
How to overcome pessimism
When we are heading down this path of pessimism we have to be reminded of this truth:
When we start to wonder if what we are doing is making a difference, we need to continue to do it anyway!
When we start to wonder if tomorrow is going to be better than today, we need to believe it anyway!
When we start to wonder if all the energy and effort that we put into people is having any impact, we need to continue to pour into people’s lives anyway!
When we start to wonder if it is really worth pursuing our dreams and passions, we need to pursue them anyway!
When we start to wonder if God is really listening to us when we are pouring out our heart to Him we need to pray anyway!
Do it anyway!
I have had Martina McBride’s song “Do it anyway” in my head for the last while. It is a good reminder! Check it out:
We can play it off as evaluating where we are, but if we don’t end up measuring by the light and view of eternity than we can make wrong turns very quickly. Good stuff, Kevin. Thank you for the reminder.
Thanks for sharing Jason!
I have been called a pessimist, but I don’t think the label really fits (or at least not all the time).
I try real hard to press on even when I cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. My daily job is like that…
One thing that has helped me is to realize that even though things may be hard, there is value in what I am striving for.
That definitely helps me move forward to in uncertainty and difficult times.
Thanks for sharing Dusty!
What a wonderful post, Kevin. I think we just have to always keep in mind that pessimism is an expression of fear, and fear is the opposite of love (the other of the two basic emotions from which every other emotion develops). “A Course In Miracles” teaches that love is the only thing that is truly real, because God (our source) is nothing but pure love. To quote: “The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.” Therefore, fear doesn’t really exist. It’s only an illusion based on our perception.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Steve!
Hum. Well I’ve been accused of being naively optimistic so I guess regardless of where you fall on the scale the goal is to somehow achieve balance – or what researchers refer to as ‘realistic optimism.’ Keep going, have the faith to believe that somehow it’s going to work out the way it’s supposed to, but roll up your sleeves and be prepared to do the work.
Great point Marty!
Thanks for sharing.
A nice and inspirational article, I totally agree with your points. Adversities happen, there is nothing to do with that, the only thing is to handle them with care. An optimal combination of patience and activity can lead to be able to survive them, your points are all helpful in a situation like that. Thanks for sharing them, I bet they are going to help many people!
Thanks for sharing Gitta!
Great post Kevin.. people should not afraid to face the reality of life. Always think positive, come what may..
We need to keep moving forward!