An online presence for St Francis Anglican Church, Tairua, NZ
If pessimism can and should be challenged, is optimism the antidote? Yes … and no. Stating the obvious, it’s a high bar to expect someone of pessimistic disposition just to change up. … And, perversely, a pessimist is likely to feel pretty pessimistic about his/her chances of attaining optimism!
Naïve optimism, pollyannarism, can be damaging too.
… and then we have this harsh and uncomfortable Gospel passage. Jesus telling us he’s come not for peace but for division. It would be easy to read it as if Jesus loves dividing people – friends, families, communities – but that seems far out of kilter with the rest of the Gospel story. Didn’t he come to give life rather than condemn? …. [To read more, click on title]
We need to have faith and trust in God, which gives us security, but God also seems to have faith and trust in us when he asks us to do things, expecting us to be ready when Jesus returns. So, when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, we need to take heed. It shows that God has faith and is trusting us to do what he asks … [To read more, click on title]
It’s hard not to be impressed by Volodymyr Zelensky’s optimism. Or Ukraine’s generally. They face such odds … and yet he – and his people seem infected by it – continues to broadcast hope and confidence and optimism. For him it’s when Ukraine prevails, not if it does … [To read more, click on title]
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