Optimism: Choice or Belief?

Optimism is not a choice. It’s a belief.

I heard this line while listening to a CD recently. I’ve listened to the disc countless times and the line is nothing new to me, yet this time it stood out to me. All other times prior, I assumed it was an attempt by the band to say something introspective and deep, but I never probed the meaning further.That is, until last week, when, upon hearing it once again, I started to dissect what it was asserting.

Optimism is not a choice. It’s a belief.

What is this saying? First of all, it’s saying that one cannot simply choose to be optimistic. Secondly, it is saying that rather, whether one is optimistic or not is tied to what that person believes. I found this proposal interesting at the very least. And then I started to wonder: is this statement true?

Well, Christians are (hopefully) not unfamiliar with the concept of that a person will always live consistent what they actually believe. Do you agree with that statement? If someone believes in sin, damnation, Hell, and yet Christ’s grace and offering of forgiveness, I do believe that they will live their life accordingly. There’s just no escaping that. On the flip side, if someone, perhaps even a professing Christian, is living a life of constant sin and rebellion against God, they must not believe that He will punish sin, or even exists altogether.

With that said, I now return to the phrase. Now, I am not sure if I can come to a black-and-white conclusion about whether the phrase rings true. However, that is actually not even the point of this writing. The phrase mentioned earlier prompted some even more important questions in my mind: if optimism really is tied to what a person believes, what about my personal faith?

Does my faith in Jesus Christ even allow for a pessimistic outlook in life? What does the Bible have to say about being pessimistic?

That is the question that I sought out to answer. And I do believe it matters because in this time in our nation, there is a lot to be pessimistic about. But I believe that Christians are called to a higher standard when it comes to, well, everything in life, and that includes dealing with stress and crisis.

Now, it might help to first define what optimism and pessimism are. Optimism is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as “a tendency to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation”. The definition of pessimism is quite a stark contrast. It is defined as “a tendency to stress the negative or unfavorable or to take the gloomiest possible view”, “the doctrine or belief that this is the worst of all possible worlds and that all things ultimately tend toward evil”, and “the doctrine or belief that the evil in the world outweighs the good”.

In regards to optimism, one verse comes immediately to mind: Romans 8:28, which says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

As followers, we should ideally be living in the reality of this verse each and every day. Do we really believe that no matter what happens in this life, God will work it all out for our good? I find it very hard to believe that as a follower of Christ, I could live in the truth of this verse, while still holding a pessimistic outlook on my circumstances. Now, it is important to note that the verse says “work together for good”, not “work together for the easiest and most comfortable situation”. I personally believe that the “good” in this verse is our spiritual good, only because what we perceive to be the best for us is always the opposite of what God knows is the best for us. God is not concerned about our comfort, but rather our souls. Therefore, in whatever situation in life, I do believe that pessimism is not an option as a Christian. To be pessimistic as a Christian is to undermine the sovereignty of God.

Let’s return to take a quick look at the definition of pessimism. For example, the first one.

A tendency to stress the negative or unfavorable or to take the gloomiest point of view.

A few verses come immediately to mind.

Philippians 4:8 “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.”

I do not see “negative” listed anywhere in that verse. Now, something important to note. This is not to say that a follower of Christ can never perceive that something negative is happening. This is not to say that we live in a nice Christian bubble and that we always have to feel happy. But there is a difference between feeling happy and feeling joy. Happiness is circumstantial, but we have a joy in Christ that exists apart from what goes on in our lives. Happiness is a feeling, but joy is knowledge; it is a perception and acknowledgement of the truth of our salvation in Christ. Now, remember that pessimism is defined as an outlook; it is an outlook on life. It is one way that someone can view the world they live in. It is the gloomiest point of view. I have a hard time believing that a faith in Christ and a knowledge of all that He has done in our lives leaves room for us to have a negative outlook on life. Rather, aren’t we supposed to dwell on truth, honor, justice, purity, loveliness, and excellence? I believe that a true perception of what Christ has done for us, as well as a true belief in the sovereignty of God allows for no other such attitude towards life.

Now, we remember that pessimism is also defined as:

The doctrine or belief in life that the evil in the world outweighs the good.

I only need to draw from one example in the Bible in regards to this aspect of pessimism: Christ died and rose again. He conquered death. Anyone that thinks that whatever good in the world is outweighed by evil has no idea who Jesus Christ is, what he did, or what he is about. He used twelve people to change the entire known world and spread the gospel throughout the world. His power is sufficient to accomplish his mission and Satan is already defeated; he can do nothing to stop Christ and the Bible makes it clear in John 16:33, where it says “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

What does it look like to live in the reality of that fact, that Christ has overcome the world? What does it look like to live life knowing that God will work everything out that happens in your life for your good and His glory? What does it look like to dwell on the truth of the Bible? It certainly is not living life expecting the worst in everything. That is expecting God to fail. That is not living in the joy of Christ. It certainly is not stressing what we believe to be the worst aspects of our lives. We can’t live in the joy of Christ with that kind of mindset. I don’t even believe we can continue to live in that mindset if we are following Christ and dwelling on his truth.

With all of that said, this question has really leaded me to evaluate my own life. I’ve not always been the most optimistic person, especially when it comes to matters that seem to have no hope for improvement, like politics. But I’ve come to realize that my faith in Christ doesn’t allow for perpetual negativity in my life. I’m going to make an honest effort to think about that fact throughout my days now. I’m going to make an effort to live life more and more reveling in the reality of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the world. There’s nothing negative about that.

So, optimism: a choice, or a belief? You be the judge. Can anyone just choose to be optimistic about life (remember, about life, not isolated situations. Optimism and pessimism are outlooks), or does optimism (and pessimism as well) stem from a person’s personal beliefs, whatever they may be? We can, however, come to a few concrete conclusions. In fact, two:

1) A practical, living, breathing faith in Jesus Christ and a true realization of all that he has done for our lives leaves no room for a negative outlook on life, but rather, the opposite.

2) A person will always live consistent with what they believe.

One final verse to illustrate that last point: Luke 6:45

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Whatever is in someone’s heart will eventually come out. What we say, what we do, and how we approach life is inseparable from what is inside of us. If we have the truth of Christ inside of us, we will have the joy of Christ in our life for a negative world to see. If we have faith that Christ has conquered the world, there is nothing to be negative about. For followers of Christ, optimism stems from our beliefs; it is a part of our belief and faith in God’s promises and power. Jesus, give us the strength to live in that reality and overcome a downward pull of negativity in the world.