In the past couple weeks I have encountered several cynical people.  Cynical about life, about marriage, about dreams, about ministry, about church, about people, about hope.  Jay and I were talking the other day and he asked: “at what point does one become a cynic?”

I got my answer this week. I found myself thinking very prideful thoughts when I was talking with a friend.  They were telling me what they had been learning from God and I immediately thought: yeah yeah, I learned that so long ago. But I realized in that moment that I was not being excited for this person. I was letting my pride get in the way of rejoicing with my friend.  To be totally honest, I was cynical that God was teaching them as much as he had taught me, and this could be described as nothing other than foolish, selfish, sinful pride.

I realize there are other ways of becoming a cynic. People who study politics or international development get cynical out of hopelessness. People who study philosophy  get cynical because of ‘intelligence.’  People who suffer or see suffering get cynical because of experience.

Politics, international development, philosophy, and experience are all supposed to draw us to God.  And when God teaches us something, He expects us to steward it well.  When we start looking down on others because supposedly we have more experience or because God has taught us more, we are in danger of becoming cynics. And cynics, as far as I’m concerned, get in the way of what God wants to do in this world.

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. -1 Timothy 4:12-16

Ladies, let’s set an example by keeping our eyes on Jesus and not letting the world mold us into cynics.

Michelle