Who's the optimist . . .

I talked with someone yesterday who lives life in the extreme end of ick.  He sees everything in his life and in the world as horrible, terrible and bad.  I don't talk with him much, because when I do, I get sad.  Sad because he sees life as so hopeless and sad that he can't see joy in anything.  I try to keep the conversation light and happy, but he'll have none of it.  (I wonder if he somewhat enjoys to wallow.)  I've heard the saying, hope for the best and expect the worst.  This guy doesn't even hope for the best, he just expects the worst.  He says, if you expect the worst, and it happens, you won't be disappointed.  But, that's such a cynical way of looking at things, isn't it?  (And this is coming from one big cynic herself.)   But to not have any hope.  Wow.  That is the depths.  I admit, I have thought that a few times in my life, and it is ugly - plain and simple.  'Life is horrible, everyone is horrible, the world is horrible and it stinks'.   It is not a fun place to be.   For you, or anyone around you.  

I think of David, running for his life, being stalked by his own father-in-law and king.  Shunned and in hiding, he had reason to be hopeless. I mean, come on.  Someone wanted to kill him!   And you see his despair in his writings.  But you also see his hope.  Hope that his pain will end.  Hope that things will get better.   And through it all, he doesn't curse God and blame Him and deny Him just because things are not going well at the moment.  He questions Him, and cries out to Him, sure, but in the end, David still praises God through it all.

I love the Psalms.  They show how life can hurt and how things can be hard to deal with in a real and honest way.  And it also shows that in the midst of  it, God is still there.  Still sovereign.  Still trust worthy.  And He'll get us through, one way or another.  It's just that we might not like the way He gets us out of it, but He will help us out none-the-less.

So I pray for this man I talked with on the phone.  I pray that he will see the hope of God in his life.  I pray that he would start to see beauty and joy, even in the middle of  his ick.  Yes, the cold and dreary weather is ugly and depressing.  But, the clouds don't stay forever.  The sun will shine again.  And that is something I have to remember myself.  I can let my circumstances rule my attitude, or I can let God do it.  I choose God.  And I hope he will too.