Day 14 - The Cynical Tongue

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  Psalm 1:1

It's neat (for me anyway) that this is today's topic.  I was just discussing cynicism with my husband last night and what it meant.  We had heard someone describe himself as a realist and had been curious about what the difference was between a realist and a cynic.  Simple answer, a realist sees things as they are, not so much as right or wrong it just simply is.  A cynic, however, sees the negative in just about everything.  Their life is Murphy's Law.

Pegues points to Eliab (David's older brother) as an example of a cynic (see 1 Samuel 17:28-29).  He seems to have a history of expecting the worst of David.  The problem is, people have a tendency to live up (or down) to our expectations.  If we expect the worst from them, quite often that is what we get.

So how do we tame the cynical tongue?  Stop focusing on the errors of others and start focusing on Jesus.  People are going to mess up, they are going to let you down at some point or another.  Their motives aren't always pure, but Jesus won't mess up.  He won't let you down.  His motives are crystal clear.  He loves you and wants you to spend eternity with Him.  Period.  You have to trust that He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Lord, help me to move past questioning others sincerity and goodness in their actions or deeds and move closer to seeing them the way that You do.  Help me to change my heart and as a result change my tongue.