“I believe any success in life is made by going into an area with a blind, furious optimism.” Sylvester Stallone
“Urgent optimism is the desire to act immediately to tackle an obstacle, combined with the belief that we have a reasonable hope of success.” Jane McGonigal
2 Corinthians 7:4 New International Version (NIV)
4 I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds
Forward Thinkers optimism means hopefulness and confidence about the future. Optimism is a positive mental attitude. The bible says so as a man thinks so is he. This season we must have an attitude that declares, I’M GOING TO DO THIS and WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS.
Forward Thinkers optimism is the opposite of pessimism. Optimistic people walk by faith and pessimistic people walk in fear. Faith pleases God and fear robs us of reaching our full potential of greatness.
Optimism is to expect the most favorable outcome to become your final outcome. Forward Thinkers operating with an optimistic mindset will stop you from quitting under pressure.
Zechariah 4:10New International Version (NIV)
10 “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone[a] in the hand of Zerubbabel?”
Forward Thinkers we must stay optimistic no matter what it looks like and trust in the fact God has His eyes on us and He is working everything out in our favor. In this text the people of God had experienced a very difficult season and they had to start over and rebuild their communities. Notice throughout this rebuilding process they were able to stay optimistic because the eyes of God remained on them the entire time. Forward Thinkers we can remain optimistic throughout the difficulties of life because our faith tells us the final results will be preordained by God.
Forward Thinkers every year during the kick-off of football season teams and fans are super-hyped and optimistic about their upcoming season. But for some of the football players this is also a time of stress and internal pressure and their spirit of optimism is being tested.
We know the team schedule in advance but the team roster is an ever revolving process of change. Forward Thinkers the team roster is like life you never know when things are going to change up on you.
Forward Thinkers there are no guarantees in life and change doesn’t always give you a notice it is about to occur. Death is often described as a thief in the night and many players are faced with the death of their careers every season.
Today in the midst of this new series of teaching Optimism of a New Season let me inject a sub-title Remaining Optimistic in the Face of Rejection. Forward Thinkers rejection is a part of all our life stories. Somewhere along the course of time somebody told you that you were not good enough or that they didn’t want you anymore. Forward Thinkers we must continue to remain optimistic in the face of rejection because God gets the final say.
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Helen Keller
Forward Thinkers let’s look at 3 groups of football players that had to overcome rejection and remain optimistic on their way to victory.
- Undrafted Forward Thinkers these are the players coming out of college that every team in the NFL looked at and decided they were not even good enough to draft to be on their team. Forward Thinkers we all have faced situations where others have determined we were not good enough to be included on their team.
Forward Thinkers let’s look at 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV) 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Forward Thinkers David was undrafted by his own family but God choose him. Forward Thinkers stay optimistic your family doesn’t have the final say in your destiny God does.
Here are some examples of undrafted players who stayed optimistic and proved the critics wrong:
Warren Moon was a top tier quarterback coming out of college during a period of time where the NFL didn’t think Black quarterbacks were intelligent enough to lead a team at the professional level. Warren Moon stayed optimistic and became so successful in Canada that the NLF finally gave him a shot and Warren went from being too Black to be drafted to being a Hall of Fame quarterback.
Arian Foster in spite of being a great running back in one of the most powerful conferences in college football went undrafted because the NFL viewed him as being too out spoken and being Black and outspoken got him labeled as not being a good team player. Foster would get a try-out with the Houston Texans and in his first full year he led NFL in rushing.
Forward Thinkers stay true to your core values and stay optimistic and be ready when your opportunity shows up.
Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys went undrafted but stayed optimistic and patient and became one of the highest paid players in professional football.
Forward Thinkers these undrafted players finally got a chance to prove themselves and this season I encourage you to stay optimistic because your due season is on the way.
Free Agent Forward Thinkers for whatever reasons these are the players that no longer have a team to play for and they are waiting for another team to hire them.
Forward Thinkers let’s take a look in the bible at Ruth 2:5 (NIV) 5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” Forward Thinkers Ruth’s husband had died and now she was left to take care of herself and she found herself now disconnected from everything she had become accustomed to.
For all my single, divorced, or widowed Forward Thinkers don’t panic, don’t get thirsty, and don’t settle. God has His eyes on you and He will send you who and what you need for your next level of happiness and success. Stay optimistic like Ruth because your story is about to turn around for the better.
Forward Thinkers I can guarantee you this football season some player that was a Free Agent during the off-season will make a big play to win a game for his new team. Forward Thinkers we all remember Deion ‘Prime Time’ Sanders becoming a free agent and signing with the Dallas Cowboys and that season he helped them win the Super Bowl.
Forward Thinkers you may be in between jobs or relationships but stay optimistic because something greater is going to happen for you.
Released-Cut-Fired Forward Thinkers these are the football players that were told that they were either no longer good enough or that their old team simply decided they wanted another player over them.
Forward Thinkers in the bible there is a story where Abraham told his baby momma Hagar and their son Ishmael he was releasing them from his family. Forward Thinkers but look at God’s promise to them in Genesis 21: 17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
Forward Thinkers stay optimistic just because someone rejects you or decides they no longer want you does not change God’s mind about you and your future greatness.
Forward Thinkers James Harrison was told he was too short and got cut four different times but he stayed optimistic and became the Defensive Player of Year in the NFL and the Super Bowl MVP.
Forward Thinkers one the best stories in football is of Kurt Warner, Hall of Fame quarterback, who went from being cut in the NFL to stock boy to winning Super Bowls and MVPs. Forward Thinkers he said God’s favor was with him and he remained optimistic through it all.
Forward Thinkers in conclusion we must remain optimistic no matter what it looks like remember on Friday and Saturday it looked like Jesus had lost but He remained optimistic and on Sunday morning He overcome and walked out with the victory. Forward Thinkers we must remain optimistic and keep the faith.
Pastor E. A. Deckard is the Senior Pastor/Founder of the Green House International Church located, in both Houston, Texas, and the Woodlands, Texas. Pastor Deckard is also the Co-Founder of the No More Bloodshed Movement. To contact Pastor Deckard for speaking engagements contact him at pr.ghic@gmail.com, follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Periscope @ Pastor E A Deckard or the church website www.ghic.net