January 3
Cynicism the Brutalizer
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me … to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. ––Isaiah 61:1, 3
I distinctly recall several times when I was a child thinking, “I never want to forget this feeling right now.” Typically it occurred at a highlight moment like a day at Disneyland, or at dusk on a warm summer day running around my neighborhood with my two best buddies. It was this sense of joy that I somehow knew was reserved mostly for childhood. Even then, I knew it wasn’t the prevailing realm of adulthood—that kind of magical, hyper-real feeling of awe and wonder.
During particularly hard times in my adult life, the Lord sometimes takes me back to one of those specific childhood memories. When He does, I can grasp that feeling of child-like wonder and joy, and I can remember what that type of happiness feels like. Typically, however, it fades as fast as fog on a warm summer morning. As we get older, it seems more and more difficult to remember what it was like as a kid on one of those magical days. As the years build up across the decades joy becomes a more precious commodity, and thus increases in value. Happiness can seem mercurial. That sense of wonder is easily replaced by a rind of cynicism that rings our lives.
Make no mistake: The struggle against cynicism is spiritual warfare. While it’s natural to become weary when life burns us, or to grow wary of lying politicians and corrupt leaders, the devil’s goal is to use that against you. He is after your thoughts and your mindset—that’s where he attacks. When we give into cynicism, we give license to the enemy to fill our minds with dark thoughts. It’s not hard, is it? I mean, look around at all the hate, bigotry, and madness in our world.
So as God’s men, what should we do? Here are a few suggestions:
- Don’t deny your cynical thoughts. God’s Kingdom operates in the light of reality. Ask the Holy Spirit to point out your areas of need.
- We need to take every thought captive, as Paul admonishes us in in 2 Corinthians 10:5. That means playing the bouncer to every demonic thought trying to sneak into your temple—your mind and thoughts.
- We need to choose hope. We choose each morning, before our feet even hit the floor, what attitudes we are going to adopt that day. We can choose hope because Jesus is hope. With Jesus having saved us for eternal glory, hope is always relevant and always within our grasp.
Yes, it’s hard to battle cynicism. It’s a near-daily battle for me. But that’s the key theme here: It is a battle. Don’t let Satan steal the joy of your salvation. Choose to fight today for the hope of the Gospel!
Father, You know how cynical I can be, and You also know that I want the hope of Christ to outshine my cynicism. Help me make the conscious choice today to choose hope.