But when we expect failure, we can miss the signs of success altogether or even read them mistakenly as proofs of defeat. As my experience with the invoice shows, missing some small detail can make all the difference in how we interpret a situation. It's to this end that the Scriptures warn us so frequently of the extreme dangers of hardness of heart. We cease believing that God has our best interests in mind and start drawing restrictions around his possibilities for our life and the lives of others. While Scripture urges us to be alert to the problem of hardness of heart, it stresses even more emphatically that we can avoid its hazards through an outlook of faith.
Faith is the diametrical opposite of hardness of heart.
While the one expects the worst of God, the other expects the best of him. Faith is an exceedingly hopeful, trusting and confident perspective. From the viewpoint of faith we see our lives not only realistically but optimistically as well. The small details which signify God's care and provision for us are much less likely to escape our notice. Since our need for faith is so deep-seated, we should make every effort to understand as clearly as possible what an attitude of faith involves.