Along the way in life we can adopt the attitude that we’re either blessed or cursed. I know people who say that if anything bad can happen to them, it will. Others say that if anything good can come today, it will come to me! These represent two different attitudes towards life. The pessimistic outlook sees bed even in good things. When something good comes their way they just wait for the other shoe to drop (so to speak.) The optimist finds the good even in the bad things. Thomas Edison was a well-known optimist. Thomas Edison’s manufacturing facilities in West Orange, N. J., were heavily damaged by fire one night in December, 1914. Edison lost almost $1 million worth of equipment and the record of much of his work. The next morning, walking about the charred embers of his hopes and dreams, the 67-year-old inventor said: “There is value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew.”
Paul argues in Galatians 3:9-11 that people of faith should live their lives expecting great blessings. On the other hand those who live by the law find nothing but cursings. He writes, “So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” God loves us! He has our best interest foremost in mind and regardless of our current situation everything is going to work out for our good. With the law, we know we’ve blown it and we’re discouraged and dejected and defeated most of the time. It’s a matter of faith and trust in a good God or a condemning God.
Those who live by faith or much happier and really are more successful in life. Psychologist Martin Segilman of the University of Pennsylvania advised the MetLife insurance company to hire a special group of job applicants who tested high on optimism, although they had failed the normal aptitude test. Compared with salesmen who passed the aptitude test but scored high in pessimism, this group made 21 percent more sales in their first year and 57 percent more in their second. A pessimist is likely to interpret rejection as meaning “I’m a failure; I’ll never make a sale.” Optimists tell themselves, “I’m using the wrong approach,” or “That customer was in a bad mood.” By blaming failure on the situation, not themselves, optimists are motivated to make that next call. It’s that way with people of faith. God is not out to get us (curse!), He’s out to bless us! Now, it’s our choice. We can live under the curse of the law, or we can live under the Grace of God. He expressed His love and concern for us on the cross. If He loved us that much, is there anything He won’t do for us?