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Dr. Schuller and the Hour of Power is broadcast
weekly on television around the world.

By Robert H. Schuller

This morning I'm speaking on a Bible verse that I've never preached on before in my entire ministry, but you hear me quote it all the time:

"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)

I memorized this verse as a child. I have lived with it throughout my life. It is the hallmark of our church service! Now you know why it's impossible for me to ever become a pessimist. Possibility thinking gives people hope, the basis of all optimism, and I don't think there has ever been a time when this ministry needs optimism more than we do today. And more importantly, in years to come.

Last week's Los Angeles Times carried a major article with a huge picture: ìThumbs down on optimism.î Optimism is out. Pessimism is in. Can you believe that? What the article really said is that the more profound scholarly books to come out of the throbbing heartbeat of academia in the Western world are pessimistic. Optimism is out. We're in postmodernism. And postmodernism, the article says, ìis modernism with the optimism taken out.î

What has happened? Why is it becoming scholarly to be pessimistic? Why do many people in the heart of academia no longer want Western civilization to be taught? Because Western civilization is rooted in the Judiac-Christian faith. At the heart of many of the intellectuals of our world today there is an absolute lack of respect for religion and for our system of government, the free enterprise system.

Why is there suddenly this epidemic of pessimism in our learning institutions?

Why is there so much pessimism in literature, theater and media?

Why do the influential pessimists promote gloom as a norm for society? Why?

Well, for much of this century, the source of optimism was found in the collectivist philosophy of life rather than in the individualistic philosophy of life. In economics, we call it socialism. In politics, we call it communism. These philosophies would not be part of the free market concept as we know it.

Now collectivism is shattered. It's dead. Individualism is in. And collectivism is not coming back as a force, so the taproot for that kind of optimism has been severed.

Interestingly enough, I was ordained in the middle of the 20th century, in 1950. I have always been an optimist, a strong believer of the power of the human being to become what he wants to become to change the world. History is never shaped by collective masses. History is always shaped by an individual who has a dream, goes for it, and is prepared to die for it. Then people respond with the rally cry, "Let's follow him!"

So, the way to change the world is to change individuals to believe in themselves so they will achieve their potential. Now this comes quite naturally to many of us who are born and raised in the United States of America. But some of our listeners in other countries do not look with admiration or respect upon what they would call "Americanism." It is our strong emphasis on the individual which has made America the great country she is in only 200 years. The single most valuable product America has invented for political distribution worldwide is a product called H-O-P-E!

Oh, yes, we're aware of our problems.

On the "Larry King Show" recently, a distinguished black Congressman from Harlem said, "Poverty," he said, "is no big deal. Poverty was not a big deal for the immigrants. But people have to have a dream and they've got to believe they can make it!"

America was founded by poor people. That's the study of what makes this country great. You have to be optimistic, not pessimistic! That's why I feel such a strong need for the global ministry of the Hour of Power and the Crystal Cathedral Ministry today! Because negativism is "in" optimism is "out" And we are committed to telling people the Good News that there is a God. He has a plan. He has a purpose and God wants us to believe.

Pessimism is a self-fulfilling prophecy. As long as the learning institutions remain pessimistic, there will be no energetic dynamism coming from them to improve our society and our world.

We should learn something from this. We should learn that our optimism had better not be rooted in politics. Politics is not a solid foundation for any optimist. And optimism has to come from something more than professional education and intelligence.

Optimism has to come from God.

I'm an optimist because I believe in God and His word, "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

The late Norman Cousins, whose friendship I miss, said, "Is anybody smart enough to be a pessimist?"

You know what he meant; there is so much good that can happen, that will happen, and is happening to change our world swiftly and beautifully.

I don't consider any person in the world of psychology doing more important work that Dr. Martin Seligman. He is the number one research psychologist, I think, in the world today. His textbooks on "optimism" are being studied seriously. I agree with him. Why?

Optimism generates hope...Hope releases dreams...Dreams set goals...Enthusiasm follows!

Then energy and health become a natural lifestyle.

Why am I an optimist? Why can I never be a pessimist? I want to give you seven reasons:

(1)— I am an optimist because I believe in God's Presence! I believe the Bible is the history of the truth. I believe that human beings have never, ever been able to disregard belief in God. God is real and He is all around us. We experience His presence all the time, only we take it for granted too often and we don't call it "God."

Instead, we say, "I have a great idea!"

Or, "I'm really in a wonderful mood."

Or, "A beautiful memory came back to me."

Or, "I was really having a problem when a friend called."

Or, "An opportunity came to me the other day through ."

God flows through the ideas, moods, and teachings of His people on planet earth. You and I are surrounded by the presence of God. I believe that. That's why I cannot be a pessimist. The story of my life in ministry is that every time we went through some horrific challenges, out of the clear blue, help came. Unbelievable!

(2)— I am an optimist, because I believe God has a beautiful plan that includes me and you. When Stevie Wonder visited the Cathedral, he shared the words of a song that I like to quote. I don't know if he authored these words, but the song goes something like this: "We all know sometimes life's hates and troubles can make you wish you were born in another time and space, but you can bet your lifetime that God knew exactly where He wanted you to be placed"

Oh, God has a fabulous plan that includes you and me. And so He puts us in places and positions that we can't even imagine today. Give God time and watch Him move. Give God an opportunity to have His way with you. Don't drop the curtain on tomorrow. God has a beautiful plan for your life and mine.

(3)— I am an optimist because I believe in possibilities all around me. That's why I could never be a pessimist. I could only be a pessimist if I could see there were no possibilities. But that is not the case and never will be. Our problem is we don't see the possibilities or we turn them down because of an inferiority complex. All we need is the faith and the vision to see the possibilities all around us.

My seven- year-old grandson, Ethan, helped his grandmother, yesterday, plant some flowers and Mrs. Schuller said to him, "Ethan, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

And he said, "Oh, I don't know yet, grandma, there are so many things I want to be. There are so many things I could be."

And he started rattling off a long list. This is the positive attitude of a seven-year-old boy, born and raised in a positive faith and in a positive family where he sees possibilities !

(4)— I am an optimist because I believe in God's providence. I can never be a pessimist because when good people run into horrific problems, God's providence moves in to help. Good Friday turns into Easter. The cross becomes an empty grave.

This week, as a pastor, I made a hospital call to baptize one of our members. Mary, as a young girl, had the dream that she would become a pilot. She had the dream that she would be accepted into the Air Force Academy and earn her wings. She made it and as a cadet at the Academy, Mary started tuning into the Hour of Power with our possibility thinking messages. Then she had a dream that she'd become the first woman astronaut. I became a close friend to Mary, as did the Astronaut Jim Irwin. Mary was doing fantastic, but one morning she had an accident in her strenuous training as a runner. Her ankle was seriously injured. She had to stop her training and then she faced more difficult challenges of the chronic, painful, bone cysts.

Surgery after surgery followed. Now Mary has been through fifty-one surgeries. Thirty-five under full anesthesia. Still Mary is so enthusiastic. She's been that way through every surgery. Never did she give up hope! The surgery scheduled this week was to replace a piece of bone in her spine.

And she said, "Dr. Schuller, can you please come and baptize me again? I want to rededicate my life to Christ." So, as Mary's pastor, I heard her rededication to Jesus, and I baptized her.

After the baptism ceremony, Mary said, "I've got a little gift for you, Dr. Schuller."

I looked at it. The gift was a lapel pin; wings, with a prop in the middle. I said, "Mary, these are the wings you earned at the Air Force Academy!"

"Yes," she said. "I want to give you my wings, because the choir, the congregation and the ministry, have put wings on my heart. You gave me wings of faith! So I want you to have my wings."

I said, "Mary, I cannot. I didn't earn them."

"Please," she said.

"I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll wear them for a while, maybe a week, maybe a month, and then I'll give them back to you because they're yours."

She said, "Okay."

As a pastor, I have seen good people go through such horrific pain and suffering. God always knows! God always satisfies! And God always helps! I believe in the providence of God, therefore I could never become a pessimist. If the worst happens, God moves in!

(5)— I am an optimist because I believe in God's pardon. I believe the worst feeling for me is when I have sinned and am guilty. But I am an optimist, because I don't have to worry about the worst news. I am pardoned. I am saved. I have the presence of Christ in my life. He has forgiven me. I don't know what lies beyond death, but I know there is only good news for me because Jesus will meet me at the door of eternity and say, "Welcome home, Schuller." That's why I can never be a pessimist.

(6)— I am an optimist because God has a holy mission and I am part of it. Have you read God's mission statement? His mission statement is clearly stated in the Holy Bible: "I will create a beautiful world, the sky, the clouds, the stars and galaxies. A majestic universe beyond all comparison. I will fill it with beautiful creatures, dinosaurs, and little tiny bugs. Plants, flowers, trees and fruit. And all kinds of animals. Then I will create a human being, made in My image, with a brain that can conceive of the possibility of a God. These human beings will be creative instruments on planet earth making it even more beautiful."

Then sin came and when that happened, God didn't give up. He added an amendment to His mission statement: "I will send my Son. I will come down and live like a human being to tell them there is a God. They will get to know what I'm really like. Then I can save them from their selfishness and their sins. They'll become bright lights in a dark world." That's God's mission statement and you and I are included in it.

(7)— I can never become a pessimist because I have prophetic vision. Oh, yes, that's a gift to you and me. It means we can see ahead. We look to the future. We live in tomorrow. We set goals that come from God. We look past our problems and difficulties. I have a vision that we can be used by God to call the world back to faith in God, in the Bible and in Jesus Christ. God calls us to be optimists!

Pessimism is abnormal. It is a sickness.

Optimism is wholeness and health. And you cannot be an optimist if you cut yourself off from a belief in a beautiful God. The secularist cannot face the reality of the sin, the crime, the terrorism, and the suffering in this world and yet remain an optimist. We need a Higher Power. We need a God Who loves eternally.

I invite you this morning to memorize this Bible verse and live with it throughout your lifetime: "This is the day that God has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."

Why am I an optimist? Because I know the night hours don't last long. They are less than ten or twelve, and then there is always the dawning. The birds sing again. It's a new day! It's a new morning! Babies are being born!

Yes! This is the day that God has made. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You have given us the greatest gift the gift of hope. We ask You to forgive us of our sins. We pray that You will purify us with Your passion so that we might become bright lights in a dark world. May people look at us and see the gentleness and the kindness of Jesus Himself. Amen