In “other” Words: Eternal Optimists
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“They gave our Master a crown of thorns. Why do we hope for a crown of roses?”
~ Martin Luther ~
But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Hebrews 9:26-28
Have you ever known someone who faced multiple trials and challenges that were powerful enough to easily cripple an individual’s spirit, yet remained upbeat, joyful and uninterested in having throwing a self-pity party?
I have known several folks over the years who were tested in ways that made me say, “Wow, I don’t think I could have handled that” or “I think I would have lost my faith if I’d been faced with that.” But they served as role models, serving as an example of faith and unwavering courage to everyone they encountered. They did not ask “Why me?” Not that anyone would blame or judge them for questioning why they had to endure incredibly difficult circumstances. It is natural to ponder how rough times fit into the overarching plan for our lives.
Rather, they said, “O.K., Lord, this is how it is. For whatever reason, this is what I have to deal with and I know you will be by my side, so let’s get busy.”
Folks who are able to see past times of adversity in their lives, around obstacles they are required to overcome, are “eternal optimists” — and with good reason: Eternal life has been secured for us. As the above passage teaches us, the sacrifice only had to be made once — and for all.
Jesus wore a crown of thorns in accordance with the Divine’s plan for his life. But he was called upon to endure suffering beyond our comprehension and die for us only once. The price of our salvation was paid in full on the cross. We will not be called upon to wear a similar crown or make the same sacrifice. Remember the words to the old hymn, “What Wondrous Love is This?” It was that wondrous love that “caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.”
So I’m sure that Martin Luther, being a rather surly fellow, intended to suggest that we are an ungrateful lot. And he was right — we all have times when we forget to be grateful and appreciative. We get so wrapped up in what is happening in our lives, so obsessed with the details of our day-to-day lives, that we become complacent about our many blessings.
Worse, especially here in the United States, we exhibit a sense of entitlement. We become so accustomed to our comfortable lifestyles that we come to believe that we deserve to live more comfortably than most of the rest of the world does. And that simply is not true. We are simply fortunate to be living as we do. We need to remain mindful of that fact and diligent about giving thanks.
We are correct to hope for a crown of roses, rather than thorns. Because, after all, a crown of roses is something that an individual would present to his/her beloved and we are the beloved children of the Divine Creator. Because of the Divine’s boundless, limitless love for us, there will be no crown of thorns worn by any of us. Rather, we are adorned in beautiful roses and have reason to be “eternal optimists”.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Bless your precious heart.
You aren’t kidding about the entitlement we Americans have. I often wonder if Christians in other parts of the globe struggle as much with being contaminated with the world as we do.
I like the phrase you coined, eternal optimists. I wish I was more of one!
I agree Christ died once and for all, but I don’t think that means we can expect a crown of roses. If that were true why would the New Testament be full of verses about suffering and perseverance? Why would Jesus have said, “In this world you will have trouble”? Yes, He has “overcome the world”, but it doesn’t make our lives a crown of roses.
I have to admit you really made me think this morning, Hopeful Spirit. I’m always up for that. Thanks for a thought provoking post.
I appreciate what you are saying, especially that Jesus’ sacrifice was once for always. But, I don’t expect a garland of roses until eternity–Jesus reminded us over and over again that we would struggle in this world. I fear that many people fall away from the possibility of faith at the first sign of trouble. We do people a disservice when we tell them that they should not have to suffer in this life.
Bless you for sharing your heart. I always love reading others’ opinions on the quotes.
Tami & Miriam Pauline:
Thanks for visiting and for your comments!
I wasn’t suggesting that life would not be hard. Rather, I meant that the ultimate result for us will be a metaphorical crown of roses — signifying the Divine’s love for us.
Well said. We do have that eternal hope. It will be wonderful to be able to give back something beautiful to our Savior! Blessings…
I am an eternal optimist myself!
And I am looking forward to the crown of roses or whatever the crown’s going to look like!
I Corinthians 9:24 - Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
I am running full speed to get that prize! Loved your post!
Thanks for sharing, this is a beautiful post
I think if we could remember that others are watching and learning from how we handle our trials, we would work more diligently to use the opportunity to bring glory to God. Unfortunately, we get too caught up in ourselves to do that every time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I hope my comment earlier was not discouraging for you. You should know you passed your own test–I was thinking of your post all morning yesterday! Though this life is hard, you are right that we should have hope. Our God has conquered all.
We always keep grumbling in our life as to we have not got this or that. But if we look back and see our ancestress have had such a difficult life. And they never complained, they were always seen happy. And we after having all the comfort in the world we all are still unhappy.
The solution I feel for this problem is that we should find happiness in ourselves and not in materialistic things, then only can we be truly happy.
Sorry I didn’t get back to continue the dialogue. I didn’t think you were implying life was not going to be hard, but I did want to clarify. Bless you for responding to my comment!
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