The Eternal Optimist

You’ve likely heard it said, “perspective is everything,” and certainly there is a degree to which that is true. While writing the book of Philippians, Paul found himself in a set of very difficult circumstances. He is in prison. He has a group of rivals who are trying to cause him trouble. If this isn’t bad enough, he is also facing the strong possibility of being executed. In each of these three circumstances, Paul steps back and looks at the bigger picture of what God is doing, both in himself and in the kingdom. Whether Paul tended to be more pessimistic or optimistic in his day-to-day life, one thing is clear from this passage. Paul was an “Eternal Optimist,” meaning he knew and believed that the kingdom of God would win in the end.