When does realism turn into pessimism?
I first started to think about this as I watch my Chiefs get humiliated on Sunday evening. There came a point in the game when I knew that they had lost momentum -— and the game (even though they were up by 11 points). There was an entire half left, but after having watched this team for over a decade, there comes a point when you can just tell — it’s over. I stopped watching. I knew it was over.
I thought that I was being a “fair weather” fan. But that simply cannot the case. A fair weather fan only likes a team when they are winning, and they’re record over the last 2 years is anything but winning, yet I still watch – but only to a point. I was being realistic.
But when does my “realistic”view turn into pessimism? And when does pessimism turn into lack of faith?
Ultimately the line between realism and lack of faith seems thin. Perhaps I’m dim to never have caught on that my “realistic” outlook on life is a damper to my faith. Faith that despite the truth of my “real” perceptions (i.e., that more often than not, people care about themselves and what they need or can get over what might be right) that God can overpower anything deemed real to His glory. I suppose I’m cautious. Protective. My realism is a blanket against vulnerability. And I believe in my subconscious, I feel that vulnerability is foolish and dangerous. But nothing in this world is effortless. Painless. And in the process I turn away faith in God to work past the truth of the world to gather all things into his Truth — which transforms the world (transforms the truth of the selfish of man into God’s intention of man in fellowship and service toward one another).
I wish I could say the Chiefs won, but they did not. Maybe next time I will leave myself open to hope (in faith) that anything can happen and remember that what I know — is very little.