True Optimism in a Wounded Workplace

(This is an excerpt from a piece I wrote, published today on Crosswalk.com)

I read an article the other day about how Western optimism is a counterproductive anomaly, leading to debilitating surprise and sorrow when bad things inevitably happen. While not a Christian article, writer Alain de Botton used Christianity as an example of pessimism, “that it’s a sin to suppose that such perfection can ever occur on Earth. Nothing human can ever be free of blemishes. There cannot be an end to boom and bust.”  

We so desperately want the opposite to be true during these uncertain times. We pray for God’s hand of blessing to return, for our jobs to remain secure, for the markets to flow freely once again. And we hang on to this American optimism because the alternative scares us and creates a tight ball of fear in our gut. Read more…