Should We Be Pessimistic About the Future?
- Steve Backlund
- Apr 5
- 5 min read
Should We Be Pessimistic About the Future?
By Steve Backlund
Should we be pessimistic about the future? For those of you who regularly listen to Igniting Hope, I’m sure you already know my answer. But let's explore this a bit deeper and consider the reasons why we might lean towards pessimism and, more importantly, why we shouldn't.
First, let's understand what pessimism is. A pessimist considers the likely outcomes of a situation and expects the most negative one to happen. This kind of mindset can, unfortunately, lead to a generally negative outlook on life, relationships, and various situations. It’s also been associated with some serious health concerns like anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, hostility, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
One thing I’ve come to realize throughout my life is that there have always been seemingly good reasons to be pessimistic about the future (specifically about world events). In the 60s, we were told overpopulation was going to result in mass starvation. In the 70s, it was global cooling that would supposedly freeze the Midwest wheat fields, again leading to mass starvation. The 70s and 80s also brought the seemingly unavoidable threat of nuclear war during the Cold War between Russia and the United States. In the 80s, we worried that acid rain was going to burn and destroy the world's rainforests. The '90s brought fears of the ozone layer depleting, leading to all kinds of calamities. In the year 2000, we braced for Y2K to cause global havoc. Then, the economic crash of 2008 had us believing we would not be able to recover.
I could go on, but the point is clear about pessimism: there's always a reason; there's always something if we're looking for it. And sadly, the news media often gets its ratings through fear, sensationalism, and building paranoia and pessimism in us.
The more we agree with a negative view of the future, the stronger the pessimistic stronghold gets in our lives. Our minds will increasingly look for evidence to confirm our existing beliefs. If we believe things will only get worse, that's what we'll focus on. That’s why I love what we do at Igniting Hope – we are here to build a positive stronghold in you, so you will see what is missed by those who are pessimistic because we will find what we're looking for.
Now, let me be clear: I am not into positive thinking. I'm into biblical optimism. There’s a big difference. Hebrews 10:23 encourages us to "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful". This speaks of non-stop hoping, rooted in the unwavering faithfulness of God. The Greek meaning for the word hope is “the confident, joyful, expectation that good is coming.” So, let’s hold fast to our confident, joyful expectation that good is coming without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
It is God's heart that we as his people speak hope. And we can only speak hope if we believe His promises. My mom had a plaque that I always loved: "My future is as bright as the promises of God". While our greatest promise is eternal life, the Lord also wants us to have hope here in this life. The Bible reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13 that faith, hope, and love remain, and the greatest of these is love. But hope is undeniably one of the big three.
Jeremiah 29:11 assures us, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope". Interestingly, a study by the University of Cincinnati reportedly found that 85% of what we worry about never happens. And for the 15% that does, most people find a successful way to navigate through it.
Yes, it’s true that some of the negative things pessimists have worried about throughout history have indeed happened – wars, crime, illnesses, disasters. But what are we going to do with that? When we look at the Bible, we see that when negative things happened, the Lord helped His people to prepare for them. Consider Joseph being directed to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt (Matthew 2), or Joseph in the Old Testament interpreting Pharaoh's dream and providing a plan for the seven years of plenty before the famine. The Lord is also with you, giving you supernatural wisdom for protection and giving you insight into how to prepare for challenging seasons.
My dad lived through the Great Depression, and his response to it instilled a pessimistic attitude in him. He wanted to protect himself from disappointment by having low expectations. He was a good man, but he had a belief system that discouraged getting his hopes up. Know this - there are two ways to live: 1) you can live a hopeless life and never be disappointed, or 2) you can live a hope-filled life with occasional disappointment. Let’s choose option two.
As we wrap up, let’s clarify the difference between hope and faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for.” Hope, in many ways, precedes faith, but it also needs to be added to our faith. Many live a life of faith but don't truly value hope, and faith without hope is unhealthy.
Faith is more specific, while hope is more general. Faith says, “God is going to do this.” Hope says, “I don't know what God is going to do, but good things are coming.” Faith says, “This prayer is going to be answered, while hope says, “I'm going to thrive while I am waiting for that prayer to be answered. And even if that prayer is never answered, I will thrive in life.” Faith says, “We're going to see breakthrough in this area.” Hope says, “While I'm waiting for breakthrough, I am going to thrive. And even if I never see breakthrough in that area, I'm still going to thrive in life.”
People of faith who don’t value hope often have a difficult time overcoming disappointment because of a tendency to put all their eggs in one basket. “If this doesn't change, it's all over.” But hope people believe that if it doesn't happen, something better is coming. Hope provides options. Hope is the safety net for when what we believe in faith does not happen.
So, should we be pessimistic about the future? Absolutely not.
We live in a time where the media highlights sensational and fear-inducing events, leading to anxiety and mental challenges. But we are being raised up right now to be an answer to this. We are building our hope. Hope is the belief that the future will be better than the present, and we have the power to help make it so. Our hope level determines our influence level. The one who has the most hope has the most influence. You are in a season right now where God’s grace is empowering you to overcome the perils of pessimism and be the answer the world needs.