In any given situation you make a choice, either you make the best of it, or you make the worst of it. Although that choice is not always made consciously, you make it nonetheless. Let me give you an example. Your friend sets you up on a blind date with one of his co-workers. He tells you all about her, and how he thinks you'd both hit it off. When you first see her, you definitely find her physically attractive, and your pretty excited you agreed to the date in the first place. You start chatting in the car on the ride to the restaurant. Although you'd initially only agreed to dinner, you immediately start thinking about the possibility of a movie afterward. While chatting in the car during the drive to the restaurant, she mentions an ex-husband. Not only are you only 21, but so is she, and your very concerned about the fact that she's already been married and divorced. You ask if she regrets getting married at such a young age, to which see agrees. She was young and naive, and thought she was "in love." They'd been high school sweet hearts and at the time marriage seemed like the next logical step. She mentions she is currently attending a 4 year college, and working part time. You are pretty impressed, as it seems although she made a rather big mistake, she seems to have gotten her life back on track. You ask if she likes going to the gym, to which she replies that due to school and work, she rarely has time. As you pull into the restaurant parking lot, she mentions she's going to have a smoke while you get a table. This really catches you off guard, as your vehemently against smoking. You don't say anything, but realize the chances of there being any future with this person is unlikely. This is the point where a choice is made, the person who chooses to "make the best of it," will make sure he enjoys the meal, makes good conversation, and finds a way to politely decline a 2nd date. The person who chooses to "make the worst of it" on the other hand, will make little conversation, and be so bothered by the smoking that he won't enjoy his meal, and will go out of his way to make sure she realizes he never wants to see her again.
You'll often hear people referred to as pessimistic or optimistic, but what does that mean? Essentially those two words describe opposite characteristics, they are the extremes. By definition a pessimist is someone who ONLY sees the negative, and an optimist is someone who ONLY sees the positive. In reality, very few us fall in those extremes, but could be placed on a scale somewhere between the two. I practically apply it this way; I hope for the best, but expect the worst. Sounds good right, but what does it mean. I found that I could expect disappointment, while maintains my true hope for success. Let me apply my view to the blind date example. I would go into the date having no expectations of the other person (ie assume they'll blow you off, they'll be unattractive, you'll have nothing in common, etc.), then make your plans accordingly. I would choose my favorite affordable restaurant (ie a low risk investment), and have her meet you there (ie escape plan). I'd then imagine the ideal (they'll arrive early, they're attractive, they have so much in common, etc.). I'm not only eating an excellent meal, but i'm with excellent company. Even though she could easily leave, she WANTS to stay. So then the worst case senario is you end up eating an excellent meal, with horrible company, whom you'll never have to see every again. This philosophy can be used in every aspect of life. You see God created us in his own image, but we are sinful by nature (human beings). God wants us to have hopes and dreams, but gave us a brain to make logical decisions based on reality and practicality. God calls us to yearn for his will, which is greater then our own, but knows that born in sin, we will fail. That is why he sent his SON, whose blood cleanses our sins, and allows us to continue on the path to righteousness. Sin is our reality (the expectation), but Christs blood is our salvation (the hope).
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." - John 3:16-21 (NIV)
