Look to God and Live… Joyfully!

This week I had the funniest notifications pop up on my phone. Okay, the subject wasn’t funny, but the juxtaposition of the two was rather hilarious. As you may or may not know, I am a news junkie and I get breaking news stories from more than a dozen sources (from all across the political spectrum) delivered as close as you can get to injecting them straight into my veins – right onto my phone. As you can see in the picture below, there is an interesting cup half full, half empty vibe going on with the way these two news organizations covered the exact same story.

Forget the topic of the screenshot. This just serves as an example of an issue that I want to talk about. Ever since getting these notifications I have been thinking about this phenomenon of optimistic vs. pessimistic outlooks and what exactly it means to look at life through a cup-half-full lens.

Life is hard. It seriously it tough. There are times when the road ahead seems about as dark as the road behind and it can feel like there is a deep all-encompassing shadow all around, with no escape. I think that often it’s easy to look at the situations we find ourselves in and feel great despair. Adopting an Eeyore-type attitude is very easy. Seriously. It’s probably the easiest attitude to adopt. It’s also not productive. I’m not even sure that once adopted it even remains a cup-half-empty viewpoint – it’s more like a “yeah, there’s some water, but it’s probably not enough to do any good, so I won’t even drink it” defeatist attitude.

On the other hand, there is the Pollyanna approach of not acknowledging the difficulties we’re experiencing and thus looking at everything through the absolute rosiest of all rosy glasses. Disclaimer: I love the story Pollyanna and have found it very helpful to adopt some of her outlook at times. But let’s get real. A Pollyanna cup-half-full style isn’t very helpful, either. It’s really not sustainable and it definitely isn’t going to help resolve anything in a lasting and meaningful way.

So, what does it mean to look at life as though the cup of our lives is half full?

I’ve been grappling with a bunch of issues lately that are heavy, difficult, and intense. As I rip off the bandage covering past wounds and scars in order to progress and move forward I have found the pain to be considerable and at times, almost unbearable. I definitely don’t want to look at my life, or life in general, as a cup half-empty experience, but how can I possibly be optimistic when the burden seems so heavy? I have a very dear friend who has battled cancer for years but has received word that she is in the end-stages of this horrific disease. How can she find a cup-half-full outlook? I have another friend who is estranged from all of her children and living completely alone. Where is the strength to find a full cup for her? The other evening I attended an event for widows and widowers of all ages. The experiences these individuals had gone through were harrowing. How did they find – and keep – a cup half-full attitude?

An answer to this question came to me at church this morning as I was leading the singing. The closing hymn was  Jesus, Lover of My Soul, written by Charles Wesley (and yes, I have always been a serious Charles Wesley fangirl) soon after his conversion in 1738. It is considered his most personal hymn, touching on his complete love for, and dependence on, his Savior Jesus Christ. My church’s hymnal only includes two verses, but the entire original hymn as penned by Wesley is below:

Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide;
Oh, receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none,
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of Thy wing.

Wilt Thou not regard my call?
Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall—
Lo! on Thee I cast my care.
Reach me out Thy gracious hand!
While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand,
Dying, and behold, I live.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want,
More than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy Name,
Source of all true righteousness;
Thou art evermore the same,
Thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound;
Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart;
Rise to all eternity.

As I reflected on these words I concluded that having a cup-half-full attitude means being willing to put all of our faith in Christ: In His love, His mercy, His grace, and His absolute power. Trusting in Christ to heal us from all earthly ills doesn’t mean believing they will magically disappear, but rather trusting that they will be made bearable. That might mean that Christ will help us find solutions, but sometimes solutions and answers won’t come in this life. Sometimes finding the ability to even bear the burdens might take a long time. Ultimately, though, I believe that looking at life as a half-full cup means that we can be at peace – through Christ – no matter the darkness that we must endure.

William Ernest Henley wrote these famous words:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

I have always loved this poem and as a self-reliance mantra it is powerful. On the other hand, I like thinking about the time “beyond this place of wrath and tears” as a place of beauty and joy, not horror. A place where we can lay down our burdens and be free. It is a belief that I have come to rely on and look forward to. I also prefer thinking of Christ as the captain of my soul. As I choose to follow Him I can find that I don’t have to stand completely alone and depend upon myself for salvation – earthly or heavenly. Self-reliance has its place, but only when it is founded on the underpinnings of Christ and His ultimate power. Putting all responsibility on ourselves – and those around us – will more frequently lead to greater disappointments.

Instead of putting the full onus for our success at overcoming the darkness in our lives on us, Charles Wesley’s words acknowledge our actual helplessness and defenselessness, conditions that we often prefer to mask and hide from. Frequently, however, I must admit that I personally do feel very alone and without defenses. Everyone does, at some point or another. It’s a very frightening feeling. Leaning on Christ, however, can take away that feeling of aloneness. What a beautiful thought that, with reliance on Christ, “they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” Knowing that there are legions of angels waiting to come to our aid at Christ’s command is a powerful aid to overcoming despair.

Having a Christ-dependent cup-half-full attitude allows us to both honestly acknowledge our trials, sorrows, pains, and hurts while giving us an ability to find solace and strength. I think the saddest cup of all is a cup that is half-full but not recognized as having the life-saving water that it holds. Christ is our hope. He will cover our “defenseless heads” with the shadow of His wing. Being optimistic requires us to, more often than otherwise, “doubt not, fear not.” It requires us to trust in the God that saves, because he loves us. It requires us to turn to Him in our need and trust in His grace.

The media will continue having different spins on stories. That’s normal. Some will paint a pessimistic and others an optimistic picture, but in life – in our lives – looking at our situations as half-full cups is the best way to find joy. Finding peace through believing in Christ’s plenteous grace, in His healing power, and in His love will allow night to turn into day and remind us that, “weeping may endure for a night, but JOY cometh in the morning.”