![]() ![]() Only positive points of view are welcome and there is no room for a dissenting voice or balance without that being labelled as negativity. Whilst positivity may help us to think more broadly about the situations we are in, it is essentially a position that asks us to ignore the data about situations if that data is negative. No matter what the circumstances, the outcome will be right for us. Lastly, positivity is the idea that things will always work out well for us. Optimism is an appropriate attitude in many situations when we don't dismiss the possibility of negative outcomes and can cope when they happen. Like all biases, this can distort the signals that our environment is telling us and cause us to focus on what we would prefer to happen rather than on what is likely to happen. It too has a motivational impact but it is a biased position tilted towards an expectation of good outcomes. It goes beyond hope in that it injects positive bias into our ideas about the future. Secondly, optimism reflects a tendency to look at things in a positive way and reflects an increased expectation that things will, most of the time, go well. Hope probably reflects the default position for most people in most situations. Hope doesn't directly reflect what we think the outcome will be but rather reflects what we want the outcome to be. ![]() It injects us with a reason to keep trying and persevering, it and has a strong motivational impact on us. It is an expression of our desire for a better future for ourselves and others. This is the hope we celebrate at Christmas.Image credit: © kevin dooley via Compfight cc -įirstly, hope is an expression of our wishes that things will turn out well. Put your anchor down into the only fully secure hope this world has ever known: the hope that Jesus won for those who trust in him. But don’t count on my optimism to make it happen. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year. In Christ, “we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19). It is given by a Saviour who has already defeated death, so nothing can destroy it. It is based on God’s provision, so no human can steal it. This hope is bigger than all the troubles of the world put together, more stable than the ground under our feet, and it lasts longer, too. The secure, firm, unshakable thing that doesn’t evaporate like my optimism does in the face of difficult realities. His resurrection life is enough for any human, no matter how lost or broken or sinful or ashamed, to be fully restored. His death is enough to provide full forgiveness to anyone who comes to him. The invitation is not based on our status, goodness, or worthiness. He came to invite us to his feast (Matthew 22:1-14). He came to provide, in reality, for all our deepest needs for forgiveness, for peace, for joy, real love, and life that never ends. Jesus didn’t come to give us a friendly sentiment. ![]() It’s the difference between telling a starving man that you hope he gets dinner somehow and inviting him to a royal banquet. Yes, we use the same word for it-we still call it “hope”-but it’s not the same thing. No, when Jesus came to earth he did not come to bring the “I hope so” kind of hope, but something else entirely. That would have been a nice gesture, but it wouldn’t have been all that helpful. God did not take on our humanity and make himself into one of us just so that he could wish us a happy Christmas, expressing his sincere hope that things would improve for us somehow in the years to come. Then again, isn’t that what Christmas is for? So I still hope you have a happy Christmas, but I’m also painfully aware that my positive thoughts won’t be able to make that happen for you. As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes my optimism is just plain wrong. Sometimes it’s not grand, it’s not good, and it’s not even fine. The only trouble with the whole thing is the trouble that keeps popping up and spoiling my optimistic outlooks. It comes naturally for me, so it’s no trouble. I can believe all the best things about your future and mine. I’ve got so much optimism I can be an optimist for you as well, if you want me to. We don’t know what’s around the next corner, so we might as well be optimistic about it. ![]() Of course there’s probably nothing I can do to actually make that happen for most of you, but I hope it for you anyway. I hope your celebrations this month are trouble-free and full of joy, and I hope 2023 is better for you than 2022. I hope you have a happy Christmas, or a merry Christmas if you say it that way, and a happy New Year. ![]()
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