“Despite all the doom and gloom that constantly assaults our senses, there is a way for us to ransom our lives and reclaim our futures: it consists in turning away from the world to recognize what in life makes us truly happy.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach
I’ve often based my reflections on quotes. Today, I am doing something a little bit different. The basis of today’s reflection comes from a cartoon. It is a cartoon of a painter looking upon a vast blackness and painting — wait for it — a bright yellow smiley face.
Too many people, it seems have adopted a doom and gloom attitude in today’s world. Oh, there could be good reason for it. There are wars and other forms of violence around the world. So many nations and societies appear to be in chaos and/or conflict. From all outward appearances, there doesn’t appear to be much hope.
And there isn’t. Did I just write that? Even more, did I mean that? You betcha. There isn’t IF we base our hope upon the insanity of the world. The world cannot supply a hope that will last just as it cannot supply anything else that will last. Because those things would be based on the world, they would eventually tarnish, wither, and pass away.
We cannot get our hope from the world. We cannot get our peace from the world. We cannot get our comfort from the world. We cannot get our security from the world.
If we want any of those things, we have to give them to the world.
Breathnach tells us that the only solution to ransom our lives and reclaim our future is to turn away from the world and find what really matters. Who can bring hope, peace, comfort, and security? Certainly not the world. Only God can do that. God and, I daresay, godly people.
The people of God are called to impact the world in a positive way so that others may see that there is a reason to hope. The people of God are called to be optimists. We need to see the possibility of joy where there is sadness. We need to see the possibility of life where there is death and destruction.
It is not easy and people might very well stand in our way. But the world needs a reason to hope. Give that hope to others by embracing the Lord and living as He calls us to live. God bless the optimists. We need them desperately!
FAITH ACTION: Be a source of optimism for others.