Hope Worth Fighting For

If pessimism persists, consult a specialist!

In recent weeks and months, it feels like the world's slowly slipping. Forget weeks and months, say the pessimists, try decades! True, but in more recent times, global news has taken on a tone that I, as a late 30-something have not heard or sensed in a long time.

Whether or not 911 was the catalyst for some ethereal drama, I'm not sure, but the Indonesian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, America's beleaguered mortgage lender, Countrywide, admitting that it's in trouble or share markets plunging in every major financial centre in the world, seem to indicate that 'sumpin's up' (or down in the case of the markets).

With this overwhelming sense of doom and gloom, what scope is there for the eternal optimist to ply his or her trade? Either we swallow the cliches that attempt to persuade us that it's got to get worse before it gets better, or we stand up on the inside and make a concerted effort to march to the beat of a another drum. This is more than just thinking positively, more than trying to apply the secret law of attraction, this is faith-based optimism that deeply acknowledges the enabling presence of a living, loving God.

With genuine faith, however, comes action. What action do we need to take in this notable period of the world's history? Author of the best-selling Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey relates a story of a time when (on an obstacle course) regardless of how positive he stayed, he eventually yielded to the course because of the way he was positioned. We need to position ourselves differently if we're to, not barely surface, but come out riding this ominous wave sweeping the world. How? A great piece of advice that I received too long ago to remember the source, was to 'Make the most of what's coming to you, and the least of what's going from you.' Explain?

STOP! Look around you-right now. I challenge you to make a list of all the things you have 'coming to you' (the least of which is the air you breathe, indicating your status as a living soul). I now dare you to list some intangibles as the smile your children wear when you embrace them, the strength you draw when you consider how much you've already come through (and here you are), the little things done in big ways that have ultimately made a positive contribution to someone else's life.

I imagine that if you took this action seriously, when you pondered on those things that were 'going from you,' they would be miniscule in comparison to the other way the pendulum swung.

In Hope
Wayne