Picture a monk in your mind. Make his facial expression quite clear in your thoughts, because I am about to ask you a question about what he looks like.
My question is, is he smiling?
Mine wasn't. My stereotypical image of a monk was a medieval man in a brown robe, with a mostly bald head and a serious face. Historical Christianity has an image of sombre, serious people. Some images could even be said to be of people weighed down by their belief. Maybe God is a kill-joy.
An atheist wrote an article a while ago in which he commended the relatively pessimistic view of religion. He was comparing this view with what he considered the unrealistic optimism of his current culture. He didn't mean that a pessimistic person was moody all day long- he made a point to say that when good things do happen, a pessimist can be as happy as an optimist. The difference is that only the pessimist will also be surprised.
I have faith in God. But am I a pessimist?
I would say I am both pessimistic and optimistic, each for different areas. The main areas where I divide this are: I am pessimistic about the world, and optimistic about the future.
My pessimism of the world, including humanity, is based in the belief that it is broken. The universe slows down, earth ages beyond repair under our feet, and the natural world relies on a system of death to maintain life. I remember walking by a canal in the country near Chester a few years ago and seeing two swans on the other side, fighting each other. I normally pictured a swan as a gracious creature, with elegance, so the image of blood falling down the white feathers on its neck was a captivating contrast. Other people turned away immediately, but my focus lingered a bit as my inner-pessimist nodded and said, "yes, this is normal."
People are just as broken as the rest of the world. The nature of every human born is a selfish one. It is true that there is an inner conflict with a part of us that wants to be good, that wants to reflect our creator, but even when we try to be honest, we still make honest mistakes. If my lifelong aim was to take care of myself, I wouldn't have any strong reason to trust anyone else. I might be scared that, whether purposefully or accidentally, everyone will eventually hurt me. I am not saying that I would not enjoy time with friends and family, but I think that I would never really trust them.
I think that the atheist who wrote the article was right that believers have a certain pessimism rooted in the earth. But he missed the optimism that we have planted in heaven.
My lifelong aim is not to take care of myself, but instead to worship God, and I have faith that He will take care of my life. The future which I am optimistic about cannot be founded on anything under the sun, which dies daily, but is founded on the eternity that my heart knows I am being called to. My future includes an eternity in loving relationship with the God who saved me.
God is powerful enough to take care of me. So even if I do not think people can be relied on, I am free to rely on them anyway because no betrayal or mistake will ever be fatal. God has challenged me to love my neighbour, and my neighbour will not always love me back, but that isn't something I need to worry about.
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryan_orr/3032709029/
