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We live in a culture desperate for good news of any kind. That’s understandable, since what fills most of our news feeds, social media channels, and subscription programming is little more than an endless and mindless stream of human tragedy. Combine that with the fact that the average American spends about three hours per day on his or her phone, and you have the recipe for a culture of negativity. If one has the temerity to proclaim basic scriptural truths such as total depravity, he can expect to be shouted down by a weary populace longing for hope.
I want to persuade you that Christians should be the most hopeful, optimistic people that others ever encounter. This is not because we bury our heads in the sand and plug our ears to avoid anything negative. No, we should be optimists because of what Jesus has done for us and promised us. In this article, we will try to get a basic understanding of why there is so much negativity in our culture. Then we’ll look at what Jesus prescribes for hope. We’ll conclude with what I pray will be some practical steps to shine the light of gospel hope in a hopeless world.
cynicism and negativity
I don’t think it’s an ideological bridge too far if we connect our culture’s cynical bent with its pervasive negativity. The two go hand in hand. One author keenly observed:
The naive optimism of secular liberalism creates cynicism, because optimism in the goodness of humanity collapses. . . . Instead of preparing us for life, our culture first offers unrealistic hope and then crashes us on the rocks of human depravity.
If, with the majority of Western culture for the past two hundred–plus years, you put your hope in the basic goodness of humanity, you’re setting yourself up for a major disappointment. You’re setting yourself up to be a cynical, negative person.
That’s at least one ideological reason that we breathe in the toxic air of negativity all around us. Even if you don’t have the time or energy to trace out the philosophical reasons for hopelessness and negativity, you see it in practical terms, every day. Just try responding to every conversation you have this week with optimism and see what happens. More often than not, your optimism will be met with dismissive negativity. How should Christians respond?
jesus’ prescription for hope
Just before Jesus begins His High Priestly Prayer in John 17, He tells His disciples: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Several details in this verse are worth our consideration, but let’s focus on just two.
First, Jesus offers us peace while also warning us about tribulation. Jesus is a realist. This is why He was never a cynic and never overcome with negativity. The very reason that He is in the upper room is that He is going to the cross, and the sinfulness that makes the cross necessary is the source of the negativity all around us. Life in a fallen world is trying, difficult, and grinding. Jesus doesn’t minimize these realities.
Second, Jesus goes from realism to optimism at the end of the verse. That shouldn’t surprise us, for to be a true optimist, one must first be a true realist. Jesus is both. So He says, “Take heart; I have overcome the world.” Yes, we will have tribulation. Still, we must not lose heart. Why? I am fascinated by Jesus’ next words: “I have overcome the world.” He uses the present perfect tense—speaking of a past event with present consequences—even though the cross, the means by which He will overcome the world, is still future when He says these words.
How could He speak in the present perfect tense? He could do so because, even though the horrors of the cross were yet to come, He knew He would finish the work that His Father had given Him to do. His was not a naive optimism. It was an optimism based on His faith in the promises of the Father to bring Him through the tribulation of Calvary. In short, the promises of the Father sustained our Savior through death and the grave, giving way to their fulfillment in His resurrection. His was not a naive optimism but a resurrection optimism.
practical steps to avoid negativity
The kind of resurrection optimism demonstrated by our Lord should mark our lives, too. It is the only kind of optimism that will withstand the daily assaults of negativity. Believing Jesus’ promises is the sole way to avoid becoming a hopeless, cynical pessimist.
How do we start to share in Jesus’ resurrection optimism? Here are a few suggestions. First, put down your phone. Often. Stop scrolling through social media, which feeds on negativity and then feeds it back to us. Second, commit to memorizing biblical verses about hope, such as the one mentioned above. Just one verse a week. Third, pay attention to the first thing that comes to mind when you wake up each morning. I’m guessing, if you’re like me, it tends to be something mildly unpleasant or negative. As we all know, how we start the day determines much of its course.
Now, when you wake up tomorrow, to paraphrase Martyn Lloyd-Jones, stop listening to yourself and start talking to yourself. Begin the day by rehearsing the verse (or verses) you’ve memorized. It will make all the difference for that day—and every day. We as Christians have hope as our birthright because we are united to the One who makes hope possible. There’s no good (or biblical) reason to be a pessimist if you’re a Christian. And a negative world needs optimistic Christians.