The pessimist sees the glass as being half-empty;
The optimist sees the glass as being half-full;
The engineer sees the glass as being twice as big as needed.
How we look at this life determines how we live this life! Plus, what we look for in life is usually what we receive!
"A pessimist is a man that looks no way but down with a muck-rake in his hand." So said John Bunyan. A pessimist looks for the worst in every situation, expects the worst from every situation, and is not disappointed. McLandburgh Wilson wrote: "The difference between a pessimist and an optimist is that the optimist sees the doughnut, while the pessimist sees only the hole." In the brightest light, the pessimist sees only darkness and gloom. In the best of times, the pessimist looks for, and finds, the worst.
The optimist tends to look for the positive in life, believing that goodness will triumph over evil, that light will defeat the forces of darkness. Ellen Fowler says it best: " The inner half of every cloud is bright and shining; I therefore always wear them inside out to show the silver lining." The optimist believes that the God who created life, and called it "good," continues to bring about "good" from every situation.
The engineer represents logic and reason. Everything is cause and effect. Every problem can be solved logically; every situation can be resolved through reason. Therefore, nothing in life is valid unless it can be explained/proven reasonably and logically. Life, however, is much more than one can measure or explain.
Some look at life through "rose-colored glasses." They see the world, not as it is, but as they wish it would be. They see the reality of darkness and evil, yet they deny the reality and proclaim: "Life is rosy." By wearing the "rose-colored glasses" these folks not only deny the dark side of life, they also miss the fullness of the real beauty and goodness in life.
All of the above are ways of looking at life; all the above are flawed and do not give us a true view of life as God created life to be.
If only we could see life as God looks at life! How much better would life be; how much better would we be! God looks at life through the eyes of love. God loves His world so much, and that includes everything and everyone in it, that He made the ultimate sacrifice to redeem life and restore life to its original condition. If we loved God's world that much, we would accept our responsibility for taking good care of this world! Caring would replace corruption; sharing would triumph over selfishness; generosity would replace greed. In God's eyes, all of life is sacred and holy; we can no longer kill or destroy or abuse life in any form.
God looks at life through the eyes of mercy and forgiveness. In God's eyes, all of us have sinned and fallen short of His life standards; we cannot save ourselves from a well-deserved Hell. But, because God loves us so much, and because He delights in showing mercy, our sins have been erased and our shortcomings have been forgiven. Just so, we are to show mercy and forgiveness to all those around us. God sees the world as it truly is; God is at work to make the world what He envisions it should be. This world/this life, by the grace of God, could be and should be a Heaven-on-Earth!
God grant us that "Heavenly Vision!" God grant us the will and the power to make that "Heavenly Vision" become a reality here and now!
Dr. Don Kuehle
United Methodist, Retired
Jackson, Missouri
Religion on 07/02/2015