In C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, the story starts with the children between the wardrobe and Narnia in that gray place in between two worlds. We find ourselves between Christmas and New Years in that brief period of time when it is still possible to stop by a Salvtion Army Christmas kettle and act on the media reminders that not everyone's cup "runneth over." While the masses continue to crowd into parking lots and department stores to expend billions of dollars, televised football has record attendances, and hundreds of millions of dollars are being accrued at the holiday movie box offices. Others continue to struggle for survival against daunting odds. Crime is up in major cities around the world. Twenty-four thousand children continue daily to die of preventable causes. Rogue nations continue to build nuclear weapons. Unemployment continues at unacceptable levels. The globe continues to warm, and America continues war on two fronts. Between Christmas and New Years, we ponder these things in our hearts. We are pleased to see the old year come to an end and wonder what the new year will bring.
When we look forward to the new year, we ask the old question, "Is the world's glass half empty or half full?" Are things getting better or worse? Will the future be given over to the dark side or to the light? Will the economy get better or worse? Will climate change bring us closer to disaster and the end of the world, or force us to change and move us eventually to becoming a better world? Will human nature capitulate to corruption, degradation and sin, or will humanity rise to new levels of virtue, altruism, reconciliation, and compassion. Are we to embrace despair over the future or exercise hope? These questions are variations on pessimism and optimism. Pessimists believe they are realists and the optimists are very out-of-touch with reality. They may be right, but in reality most people are realists. They are not steeped in pessimism, but live in a real world where pessimism and optimism are simultaneously held in tension.
The truth be told, we live in a world of tremendous opportunity for many and of overwhelming, nearly unimaginable circumstances and suffering for others. Materially, never have there been more millionaires and billionaires in the world, nor a higher quality of life for most of the world's population. Nevertheless, a great gap exists between the material quality of life and the spiritual search for meaning and purpose in life beyond the material. I raise here the hypothesis that when the spiritual part of humanity is left unaddressed, devoid of meaning and purpose, people will eventually lean into depression and pessimism. When people spiritually experience meaning and purpose, they will lean into optimism. The challenge is to achieve a state of realistic optimism, realistic because tomorrow will not be all rosy and wonderful. There is corruption, degradation, and sin in the world, both personal and structural. Millions of people, approximately 1.4 billion, still live in deplorable circumstances and contexts and continue to be referred to as "the submerged tenth", the severely disadvantaged peoples who are at the bottom of the world's economic order. Deplorable circumstances were and continue to be created by man. People suffer because of the decisions of others. Nevertheless, it is possible to lean into a realistic optimism that occasions hope.
The words of the Apostle John still ring true: "For God so loved the world . . ." He still does, and yet our God chooses to engage human agency to bring about the impact of his love. He calls and commissions us to be a people of hope; of faith, hope, and love with him and in him. Later in the Gospel of John (15:5) we are encouraged by these words from Jesus Christ - "If you abide in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit." For what purpose? So that we can embrace the motto of a people who year round bring hope to many around the world, The Salvation Army. Their motto is "Others"! We lean into hope as realistic optimists who acknowledge the world's most deplorable circumstances and greatest needs, and yet remain determined to make a difference for others. We lean into hope with realistic optimism at this time of year and celebrate tomorrow's possibilities. "With Christ, all things are possible!"
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