Optimist or Pessimist?

I recently took Barbara Johnson's book Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life off my shelf and skimmed through it. Two words kept catching my eye and my attention: Optimist and Pessimist. In other words, Is my glass half full or half empty? I decided to look a bit more at these two words. Let's look at Pessimism first: Webster says that pessimism is the belief that the evil in life outweighs the good, the tendency to expect the worst. Some synonyms of pessimism are doubt, depression, grief, sadness, bleak, gloomy.... Those words are not very pleasant, are they? Webster says that optimism is the belief that good ultimately prevails over evil, the tendency to take the most hopeful view of matters. Synonyms of optimism are cheerfulness, hope, confidence, assurance, encouragement, brightness, trust, certainty... Just reading the synonyms of optimism brought joy to me. I so want to be an optimist and not a pessimist. Have you ever watched the movie or read the book Pollyanna? I love Pollyanna, the glad glad girl! She always looked for something glad (good) in every situation. She looked on the bright side. You know, for instance, if you broke your leg, "look on the bright side, it could have been both arms and both legs!" That's a bit silly and extreme, I know, but seriously, do we look for the good in every day situations or is everything always bleak and gloomy? Let's see what Barbara Johnson says about optimist and pessimist in her book:

AN OPTIMIST LOOKS AT AN OYSTER
AND EXPECTS TO FIND A PEARL.
A PESSIMIST LOOKS AT AN OYSTER
AND EXPECTS PTOMAINE POISONING.

A PESSIMIST IS SOMEONE WHO FEELS BAD
WHEN SHE FEELS GOOD
FOR FEAR SHE WILL FEEL WORSE
WHEN SHE FEELS BETTER.

A PESSIMIST HAS NO STARTER,
AN OPTIMIST HAS NO BRAKES.

IN THE LONG RUN, PESSIMISTS MAY BE PROVEN RIGHT,
BUT THE OPTIMIST HAS A BETTER TIME ON THE TRIP.

AN OPTIMIST LAUGHS TO FORGET
A PESSIMIST FORGETS TO LAUGH.

If we look around us, especially if we listen to the news, there is much gloom and despair around us. I seldom watch the news on TV anymore because it either makes me sad, worries me, or makes me angry. Truth is, I do live in this world and we are surrounded by sickness, death, debt, sin, but no matter what our circumstance, God is still God and He never changes. Every promise He ever made is still as true today as it was when He said it. When you are tempted to look at your glass as half empty, think on this verse: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Words of Jesus found in John 16:33

Be of good cheer dear friends, in Christ there is real peace; and that makes me really GLAD!