The glass is always half empty. She always sees the difficulty instead of the opportunity. She always fears the storm instead of looking for the rainbow.
Yeah that’s me. How do you see your glass?
Only days ago, I explained how this is natural. It’s human nature. It’s survival. It’s how we protect our hearts and minds from pain and disappointment. Pessimism is okay, as long as you use it to protect yourself and those you love.
What a lie I’ve been telling myself all these years! I’m thankful to have found this out. While listening to a message from my Pastor this past weekend, I realized negative thoughts can lead to a “critical” spirit. All these years I have been discouraging myself, not protecting myself. I had thrown a wet blanket on the fire of the Holy Spirit, and stifled my HOPE in God. A pessimistic spirit had somehow set up residence in my life and kept me discouraged and expecting the worst in every situation.
There is no way we can have hope if we continually speak discouragement or see the glass half empty or fail to consider God’s purpose in the midst of difficulty. With no hope is distrust. Let me tell you, we need not think we will journey any distance with the Lord if we don’t trust Him.
So, after walking in a circle of my own creation I am soooo excited to step out and shed this cloak of discouragement, this spirit of pessimism. A stronghold that has remained safely hidden for many years calling itself protection.
Not only do we shut out the hope of God when we respond to circumstances with discouragement instead of encouragement, but we teach it to our children without even realizing it. Teaching them to always expect the worst instead of the best. “Don’t get your hopes up, in case things don’t work out. That way it won’t hurt as bad.” I’m just shaking my head at myself right now. Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Pessimism is born out of fear, fear of the unknown. This is not what God wants for us. He desires to deliver us from fear. Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord and he answered me, He delivered me from all my fears.
In our life bad things will happen. Don’t be afraid to expect good things. Don’t be afraid to hope for good things. Trust in God to calm the storms of life. Psalm 107:28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
There’s hope in every situation with the Lord. Always, hope. Psalm 130:7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption.
Psalm 42:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
The hope we have in Jesus swallows up discouragement.
HOPE