If you were to look up the word pessimist,
I believe out beside the word you would find a picture of old Thomas. We read in John 11:16, “Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples,
Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
We read 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.” Old Thomas, the pessimist!
I once heard about a farmer who
was continually optimistic, seldom discouraged or blue. He had a neighbor who was just the
opposite. Grim and gloomy, he faced each
new morning with a heavy sigh.
The happy, optimistic farmer would
see the sun coming up and shout over the roar of the tractor, “Look at the
beautiful sun and clear sky!” And with a
frown, the negative neighbor would reply, “Yeah–it’ll probably scorch the
crops.”
When clouds would gather and
much-needed rain would start to fall, our positive friend would smile across
the fence, “Ain’t this great–God is giving our corn a drink today!” Again, the same negative response, “Uh huh,
but if it doesn’t stop ‘fore long, it’ll flood and wash everything away.”
One day the optimist decided to
put his pessimistic neighbor to the maximum test. He bought the smartest, most expensive bird
dog he could find. He trained him to do
things no other dog on earth could do–impossible feats that would surely
astonish anyone.
He 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?”
What to do:
✞ Let your attitude also be one of Godliness. Ask God to help you in this area.
Are you Saved? | Get These Devotions By Email
