Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 579 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Optimism – The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 579 of our trek, and it is Motivation Monday. We are hiking a series of trails called The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack.

Each Monday for a total of 20 weeks, we are exploring a different tool that is needed to motivate and equip parents and grandparents to train their children and grandchildren to be successful on their trek of life. If you don’t have children or grandchildren of your own, use these tools to train others that you do influence. Today the 14^th tool from Gramps’ Backpack is Optimism.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I am recording this before the weekend, but if all goes according to plan and the weather cooperates, I will be investing most of my time during this weekend continuing to cut up the large trees that we had cut down in March. There is a lot left to complete, so I doubt that this project will be finished.

This last week has been a busy one, but we were able to complete the remaining tax returns that were on our schedule. We are optimistic that we can now focus more time on some of the other projects that need our attention. Having an optimistic, but realistic outlook and focus on life is imperative to success in all areas of life. It is also a crucial character trait to teach to our children, grandchildren, and others that we impact. They will certainly learn more by observing us and how we view various situations of life.

Although I grew up in a poor family financially, my parents always displayed an optimistic outlook on life. They were so rich in many others areas of life. I learned that material wealth was not nearly as important as having wealth in the non-material areas, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the character traits that we need to optimistically pass on to others.

So the tool that we will explore today is…

Optimism

Optimistic parents and grandparents will use the power of positive thoughts to improve their own lives, and then pass those traits onto those that they impact. Especially as Christ followers, we have every reason to be optimistic about life. The green grass, the blue skies, and all of creation give us ample reason to be optimistically joyful.

How many times though is rejoicing the last thing on our minds? Too often we fall prey to worry, frustration, anxiety, and sheer exhaustion that cause the burdens of life to weigh us down. What is needed is plenty of rest, exercise, nutritious food, and a large dose of realistic perspective. Sure life is hard sometimes, but being optimistic and joyful about life makes it so much easier.

An optimistic attitude about life is all-important. Let the soul take a quiet attitude of faith and love toward God.

When we truly put our faith and trust in God and realize that He controls all of life, we can rest in the fact that He will indeed see us through anything that we may face. This is a reminder to us that even when the challenges of the day seem overwhelming, and even those times when our hearts are broken, God remains steadfast, and so must we. Jesus’s half-brother James tells us in Chapter 1 verses 16-18, “So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow ¹⁸ He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.”

The people that are most successful in all areas of life are those who are cheerful and hopeful. They choose to view each day optimistically and go about their business with a smile on their faces and a song in their hearts.

Jesus offers us a rich and satisfying life, but He does not force it on us. We must choose to accept it. Each day we need to claim the joy that is rightfully ours in Christ. We need to choose to take the time to celebrate God’s glorious creation. When we do, we will think optimistically about ourselves and our world. It is then we can share that joy and optimism with our children, grandchildren, and others we have the opportunity to impact.

After Nehemiah had led the Israelites in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he gave this encouragement in Chapter 8 verse 10, “And Nehemiah continued, ‘Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!'”

The essence of optimism is not a life without trials, but joy in the midst of trials. It takes no account of the present circumstances, but it is a source of inspiration, vitality, and hope. Where others are destroyed by circumstances, optimism enables a person to hold their head high, to claim the future for themselves, and to not abandon their joy to the enemy. As the Apostle Paul wrote to us in Romans 8:18 & 25, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.  But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.” Also in 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

For much of life, it is not what happens to us that determines our destiny, but how we view what happens to us. Life may not be perfect, but being confident, joyful, and optimistic allows us to live a life that is rich and satisfying. This is what we need to teach our children, grandchildren, and all those that we impact.

With these thoughts in mind, we will conclude our trek for today and close Gramps’ backpack. Before I do, I will pass the tool of Optimism on to you. Once you have this tool in your backpack, it is up to you to daily live optimistically before everyone. As you teach your children, grandchildren, and others your optimism for all of life, you will also be training them how to live the rich and satisfying life that is available to each of us.

Next Monday we will investigate the 15^th tool in Gramps’ backpack, which is Fairness. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day.

Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe on iTunes and Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!