"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement;
nothing can be done without hope."
                                                                           Helen Keller, 1903    

I am an optimist. It may seem foolish to some but there it is, -- I expect good.

I’m not sure why, except for my faith in God’s existence and goodness. It may also having something to do with the fact that I have seen things looking very dark, both in the world, and in my own house, and then the light has broken through.

When I was a child in the 60’s, we had to do drills in school to prepare us for a nuclear attack. An attack that would surely kill us all; or so the adults would say to each other in hushed voices, thinking we children couldn't hear them.  

When the alarm would sound, I would dutifully crawl under my little wood and metal framed desk and sit there, waiting til I was told to, “Come out from under your desks, children,” and go to recess, or whatever was next. I can’t remember feeling afraid but I imagine I was worried. Who wouldn’t be.

But I was learning in my weekly Sunday School class, that God loved me and would care for me no matter what. Like David and the lion and bear who had tried to kill his sheep when he was a solitary shepherd on the hills in a far off land. He had not been alone, I remember thinking, he had God right there, giving him the courage and skill to kill the very scary and much stronger beasts. He had proved his faith by his works, and then he had been able to use that wonderful proof of God’s care later when he was up against even bigger problems. Problems named Goliath.

Not everyone believes in God, or goes to Sunday School, or prays when they have a problem, I know that. What I can’t get out of my head these days, though, is that everyone has access to hope, to a feeling that things can get better. To a perspective on the world and their place in it that is not hopeless, or discouraged, or just plain sad.

I think optimism has its roots not just in hope but in common sense. Have you ever tried to accomplish something, even simple things like taking a swim, when you are expecting to fail? It doesn’t work out very well. I love the fact that the Latin root of the word hope is “to extend, to reach forward.” (Websters). To extend ourselves when we feel like giving up. To reach forward when all we want to do is lie down.

The other day, I helped out with a running race for kids here in our little hometown. There were kids of all ages taking part, and I was sent out to the field to cheer them on and help direct them. One little boy, about six or seven years old, had stopped and was walking. His mom was with him, but she was letting him walk and not pushing him to run, the way so many of the parents had been doing. I liked that and just yelled to him, “Good job! You’re almost to the end!!” He looked right at me, took a deep breath, and started running. I watched as he ran all the way in to the finish. A little encouragement, a little hope, a little patience on his mom’s part, had been all he needed. He knew he should be running, he just couldn’t at that moment. And then, he could. I will never forget that moment. The look on his face, the joy as he blew by me.

Hope comes in many different shapes and forms. Sometimes, it’s from an ancient Bible hero like David, sometimes, it’s remembering I never had to find a bomb shelter as a child, and sometimes, it comes from two grown ups supporting you, rather than judging you.

Which takes me back to another Bible story: Jesus’ parable of the tares and wheat. I recently heard a talk about that parable where the speaker pointed out that Jesus didn’t have the farmer tell everyone “OH, NO!!! Get those tares out of there. It’s going to ruin the wheat!!! How awful. How did this happen ??!! Whose fault is this ???” Nope. He calmly saw that it was a ruse, and wisely left the two to grow “side by side until the harvest.” Then, the tares were easy enough to spot and be separated out; they were even used as kindling, – made useful. Bottom line: he wasn’t fooled into hopelessness, even though things looked very bad. It wasn’t ignorance or stupidity or reckless optimism on his part. It was wisdom and experience. He knew something his workers didn’t, and he shared that with them.

Just like Helen Keller shared her wisdom with us today.

So, I will end with another quote from her that I love:

"By faith I mean a vision of good one cherishes and the enthusiasm that pushes one to seek its fulfillment regardless of obstacles. Faith is a dynamic power that breaks the chain of routine and gives a new, fine turn to old commonplaces. Faith reinvigorates the will, enriches the affections and awakens a sense of creativeness. Active faith knows no fear, and it is a safeguard to me against cynicism and despair. After all, faith is not one thing or two or three things; it is an indivisible totality of beliefs that inspire me."—Manuscript for Helen Keller's "This I Believe"

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