But most of all, I have been thinking about that catchy little phrase. I recently read an article about optimism and the author made the point that optimists are not just "positive-thinkers" but proactive doers. What sets apart optimists from pessimists are their can-do attitude. It isn't so much that optimists always believe the future to be rosy. But when faced with adversity, they have faith that they can conquer the challenge and they go ahead and take action. Pessimists will look at a problem and often not do anything about it because they don't believe anything they can do will help to solve it.
Hebrews 11 is like a hall of fame for those people in the Bible who had great faith. The interesting thing is that it describes each person as doing something by faith. They didn't just believe and wait for things to happen. By faith, they acted. By faith, Abel offered a sacrifice to God. By faith, Noah built an ark. By faith, Abraham left his home and went into another country. They all acted in faith.
Sometimes life challenges us in such a way that we have to act even if we don't feel like it. Most of the time, if we can proactively work towards a solution, we will begin to feel better. Passivity, on the other hand, neither produces results nor positive feelings. Sometimes passivity can even be a sign that we don't trust that God will take care of us. So the next time life gives you lemons, decide to put your faith in God and face your fears head on. Then make some lemonade and throw yourself a party!
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