Psalm 1:1-2 - Cynicism

In recently downsizing my library I came across a small booklet, simply entitled "Cynicism."

I thought of sending it to a friend who has at times struggled with cynicism. But the longer that title stared at me from the book cabinet, the more I was convicted that through the years my friend has become less cynical ...and I more so!

When we repeatedly hear about discord--in the world, in our country, in our churches--isn't it easy to give in to negativity? We're assaulted by combative opinions, and it takes work to track down the accuracy of news stories. It's easier to shrug with a sneer as we settle into an easy chair of cynicism, assuming the worst about others' actions, words and motives.

The very first Psalm addresses this:

"How blessed is the {one} who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But {their} delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law {they} meditate day and night."
Psalm 1:1–2, New American Standard {modified}

There's a downward progression toward cynicism:
WALKING in the counsel of the wicked. It's not committing to all-out evil, but being ready to take advice and input from corrupt sources.
STANDING in the path of sinners...  is becoming comfortable with sin itself.
SITTING in the seat of scoffers. The last step isn't murder, adultery or "big bad sins," it's cynicism!

Daniel Taylor defines cynicism as "a profound distrust of people and of the possibility for meaning and value in human experience." (Cyncism, p.4).

Last week I opened the kitchen drawer where we keep potatoes. One whiff warned me that at least one was rotten. I reached for every other potato with disgust; fear that my thumb would sink into a liquid, putrefied potato. What if I carried that smell in my nostrils day and night, letting it ruin everything I experienced?

And how can one become cynical about people without also becoming cynical about the God who created them?

The solution is to delight in the law of the Lord... day and night. Rather than letting press, politicians and peers darken our view of life, we filter our experiences through the word of God. Instead of turning sour, joy is found in God Himself.

Forgive me, Father, for the times when I've let the world around me define my view of reality. Pardon the times when I've become jaded and hope-less. Deepen my appetite for the sweetness of Your word. Renew my hope by scriptures made real to my heart by Your Spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen.|

"Cynicism" by Daniel Taylor. Published by Intervarsity Press, 1982. (Photo of cover)