The Stockdale Paradox

Who has the worst chance of surviving a prisoner of war camp?

An optimist!

According to General Stockdale, who was held captive for eight years during the Vietnam War and tortured 22 times before finally making it home, it was mainly optimists who did not make it out alive.

He explains: “They were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”

In contrast to false optimism, Stockdale attributes his survival to realistic faith: “I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.” He concluded: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end–which you can never afford to lose–with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

 

But we can apply this principle to our spiritual lives and ministries too. Many Christians and churches seem to entertain unending optimism in “the next big thing” to make the “big breakthrough” in their lives and churches. The consequences are increasing numbers of disillusioned Christians and churches, some of whom are dying from broken hearts.

If we want to avoid this, let’s. . . . . (read the rest  HERE )



Originally posted on April 22, 2013 by David Murray