There’s a curse — often attributed to the ancient Chinese, although the saying is almost certainly of relatively recent (probably the 1950s, dating from the earliest literary citation) and Western origin — that states, “May you live in interesting times.” The implication of the curse is that “interesting” times are certain to be trouble-ridden and disturbing.

That’s true, isn’t it? When we reflect on history, the most intriguing periods to read about are those in which dreadful events — wars, natural disasters, social upheavals — occurred. You rarely pick up a textbook and read a chapter heading that says, “The Year Nothing Much Happened.” No one wants to read about a year like that. Even in current events, we call it a “slow news day” when there are no tragic events for journalists to report.

We certainly live in “interesting times” these days. The news is filled with “wars and rumors of wars,” to borrow the Lord’s phrase. The economy is struggling. We hear constantly about horrific crimes like the sniper shootings around the nation’s capital, and the threat of possible terrorist attacks. We read about a nearby city where 100 citizens have been murdered since the first of this year. Tales of scandal and perversion fill the morning papers and nightly newscasts.

In such a climate, it’s easy for Christians to become discouraged. Who wants to hear the gospel of Christ when we live in such a dark and ugly world? Most people we meet seem little interested in the word of God. If they’re interested in religion at all, it’s the feel-good, do-as-you-please religion of modern America that appeals to them, not the often difficult and challenging truths of the Bible. We despair of ever finding anyone who will “receive the word with all readiness,” like those fair-minded Bereans of long ago (Acts 17:11).

But perhaps it’s all a matter of perspective. The story is told of two sales executives for rival shoe companies, who several decades ago were sent to the Australian outback to establish a market for their employers’ products. When the two salesmen arrived on location, the first thing they observed was that the aboriginal people did not, by and large, wear shoes. One salesman cabled a message back to the States: “Coming home on next flight. Nothing to be accomplished. No one here wears shoes.” His competitor wired a very different message to his manager: “Please triple original estimated quantities and ship immediately. Everyone here needs shoes.”

Didn’t both salesmen see the same thing? Sure they did — they just interpreted what they observed in opposite ways. One man saw hundreds of shoeless people and thought it a waste of time to try to convince them of the potential benefits of shoes. After all, if the people wanted shoes, they’d be wearing them, wouldn’t they? The other man looked at the same people and saw how desperately they needed shoes. They just didn’t know what they were missing.

Sometimes it’s not the data as much as it is the interpretation. We can look at a world that seems disinclined toward God and see one of two things — people who will never listen to the gospel, or people who might listen if someone gave them the chance. If we take the former view, it is certain we will never convert anyone to Christ — we’re defeated before we begin. If, on the other hand, we see opportunity instead of obstacles, we might be amazed at how fertile the harvest is when we dedicate ourselves to sowing, cultivation and reaping.

These are indeed “interesting times,” not only because of the turbulence of national and world events, but also because of the limitless potential for the gospel. Never in the history of the world have there been as many people alive as there are today, which translates to more souls in need of saving than ever before. How will we approach these “interesting times”? Will we find in them a curse, or a blessing?