THE PASTOR’S WORD
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
After a very difficult day at the office, a psychologist walked through his front door and said, "Honey, I've had a terrible day. All I did was listen to one problem after another. So, please, don't tell me about any more problems. Talk to me, but just give me the good news." The wife quickly restrategized and said, "O.K. The good news is . . . two of our three children didn't break an arm today."
* Rotarian, April 1993, p. 64
The story above reminds me of the difference between the optimist and the pessimist and how they view life. When the problems of life seek to empty the happiness from the glass of our lives, the optimist continues to view life with a positive out-look, and sees life like a glass half-full , but the pessimist views life negatively, for they see the glass as being half-empty.
Are you an optimist or a pessimist? There is absolutely nothing in this life that can steal your peace and your joy if you have the heart of an optimist.
A great optimist who influenced my life was my father. At the age of 34, he suffered a severe spinal cord injury and was left paralyzed from the waist down for the remainder of his life. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for my Dad to be told that he would never walk again! His glass had to seem like it was empty. But I never heard my Dad complain or say, “Why me?” He shared with me something that had a tremendous impact on his attitude and the way he looked at the glass of his life. After his accident he was sent to the Roosevelt Rehabilitation Center in Warm Springs, GA. Shortly after his arrival there a young man of 18 was brought in; he had suffered a spinal cord injury to his neck. The young man was a quadriplegic; he could only blink his eyes, he could not breathe on his own or even speak. He was literally a head without a body. Dad suddenly realized just how blessed he was; he had lost the use of his legs, but he could still use his arms and hands. He could still speak; his glass was still half-full, and he was so very thankful!
The Apostle Paul was an optimist, for he had learned the secret of seeing the glass of life not just half-full, but over-flowing.
NIV Philippians 4:12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Vs. 13) I can do everything through Him (Christ) who gives me strength.
My friend, when life gets you down and you think your glass is empty, look to the Cross of Jesus Christ, and consider that He emptied Himself that our lives could be full.
In the love of Christ,
Pastor dean
