My friend Amy used to always say ‘cynical starts with the word sin, because it’s a sin’.
I have a tendency to become cynical. It’s a writer thing, we’re wry, good with words and ironic. Stepping across the road to cynicism is easy. It’s just one small little nudge away. But being cynical isn’t good.
I have a new intern who is helping me at work. This is her first job and she’s excited to learn as much as she can. The smallest task I give her is a huge privilege. She’s excited to see me. Excited to be a part of the company. Excited to go for lunch. Adjacent to all her enthusiasm is my… cynicism. I’m tired. I’ve done the role for a while. I have a never-ending to-do list of things the world wants from me, deadlines, responsibilities and expectations. I’ve lost that sense of wow. Even though, if I stop to think about it, there is so much WOW! to be found in my life.
In Matthew 6, in the Bible it says,
“If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light.”
I like that thought. That when we choose to see things with wonder it changes us.
Nobody has it easy
It’s always a lot easier to look at everybody else’s life and think, “If I had what she has then I would be fill of wonder, I’d be happy.” This isn’t true. Even the richest person on the planet is always looking at someone else and thinking if only I had that. It isn’t having a lot that teaches us to be happy or content. Rather, it’s choosing to be happy with what you do have. Nobody has it easy. Even the person who seems to have everything doesn’t actually have it all. Everyone has to deal with death, emotions, and difficulties.
The world has hidden treasure in every day if you look for it
The world is full of beauty and wonder, you just have to select the option to see it. Every day that you wake up and the sun shines on your skin, you have the opportunity to see and experience something of the wonder. If you go through your day negative and cynical, never believing that good things will happen then there is a chance that you will prevent them from happening. Don’t do that! See the hidden treasure in every day you are given.
The most attractive quality in a person is their attitude
We often think the most attractive quality about someone is their hair or their long legs, or their eyes. The most attractive quality in someone is their attitude. This is your ability to say, even though it looks bad, I’m going to see the good. The good in other people; the good in the day; the good in your job.
The wonderful gift of salvation
I don’t think we quite realise that God has given us the most wondrous gift we could ever be given. When He sent His son to the earth to save us and set us free, we were given eternal life. There is no gift that can ever be greater. When you accept what Jesus did on the cross and believe in the resurrection then your eyes are opened to a world of many wonders.
Don’t let the everyday nitty-gritty hard stuff wear away at your wonder of God, or your wonder for life. Life is a gift. Even if it doesn’t always feel like it, it really is. You only get one shot so why live small. Be brave and positive and believe for the best. Let go of your cynical attitude – I’m working on mine, don’t worry. And replace it with hope.