Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:4-11
Key Verse: Verse 11- “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.”
Key Words: there was no profit under the sun
Solomon gives us a pretty clear picture of a pessimist.
The pessimist is defined as a person who habitually sees and attempts to find the worst of everything. Thomas, a disciple of Jesus, no doubt had a pessimistic attitude. We read in John 11:16, “Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Thomas was speaking of going with Jesus to Bethany to check on Lazarus. It is also pessimistic Thomas that we read about in John 20:25b, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
The pessimist is hard to deal with and can drag others down into a pit of despair with them.
I read a story about two duck hunters who were known for their contrasting outlooks on life. One day one of the duck hunters invited the pessimist to go duck hunting with him. They sat in the boat, hidden in the duck blind. In came the ducks. Both men fired and several ducks fell into the water. “Go get ‘em!” ordered the owner with a gleam in his eye. The dog leaped out of the boat, walked on the water, and picked up the birds one by one. “Well, what do you think of that?” Unsmiling, the pessimist answered, “He can’t swim, can he?”
I used to know a pessimist whose favorite saying was, “If you think the problem is bad now, just wait until you solve it.”
As always, thanks for reading; unless, of course, you are a pessimist…because you have already found all kind of fault with this devotion.
What to do:
✞ Don’t let the pessimist drag you down into the pits of despair with them.
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