Toxic Optimism
Face the Hard Stuff
Living in the extremes is not healthy.
Getting too much sleep is unhealthy, just like not getting enough sleep is horribly unhealthy. Being overly negative is hurtful, and so is being overly positive. There is much to be said about the negative, but the same holds true for being toxically optimistic.
In Christian circles, there is a tendency to try and glaze over the painful and heartbreaking moments in life by reciting Christian platitudes.
If we look to the Bible for an explanation of why the world is the way it is, we will find loads of verses explaining the brokenness we see every day. One of these verses is John 16:33. It begins with, “In this world you will have trouble.” There’s no sidestepping the truth. “…You will have trouble.”
This statement alone has great value, but if we stop there, we miss out on an essential truth: “But take heart!” Other translations say, “Be of good cheer,” “Be filled with joy,” “Be undaunted,” and “Be courageous.” You might be thinking, “That’s great, Craig, but why?” If someone told me this, I would at least ask for something to hold onto.
Why should we have hope? Let’s look at the last part of John 16:33: “I have overcome the world.” We can have hope because Jesus has overcome the world. He has beaten all of the challenges we face.
Now, I am NOT suggesting that this solves all of our current struggles because it doesn’t. We will still endure pain, hardship, heartache, and the brokenness of this world, but one day, that will come to an end.
In the meantime, it is important that we acknowledge, process, and deal with our challenges the best that we can.
“We can’t tend our wounds well if we haven’t acknowledged their severity.” Debra Fileta
Verse for Reflection
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Source
[1] Fileta, D. (2023). Reset. Harvest House Publishers.