The Good, the Bad, and the Pessimistic

Pastor Blake Cromwell

A pessimistic duck in Canada decided that it was too difficult to fly south for the winter so he announced to the flock that he would remain behind. As winter approached and it grew cold and snowy, the duck grew melancholy and depressed. He began to doubt his decision to stay behind and in the middle of winter decided to fly south. As he flapped along he soared into a winter snowstorm and his wings began to fill with ice. The ice on his wingtips became so heavy he could no longer continue flying. As he peered down through the clouds below him, he identified a barnyard and decided to land there. Sitting on the ground in the barnyard he thought to himself, "nothing could be worse than this."

Suddenly, a cow stepped over him and plopped on him. The duck was horrified by this indignity. Convinced that nothing worse could ever have happened to him, he suddenly became aware that the plop provided a warm blanket and was keeping him from freezing. This unexpected turn of events made him so happy he began to sing. A cat hiding in the hay heard the racket and ventured out to investigate. He found the duck, cleaned him off, and ate him.

There are three morals to this story. First, not everyone who plops on you is your enemy. Second, not everyone who cleans you up is your friend. And third, when someone plops on you, just keep your mouth shut.

The Bible is clear that it expects the followers of Jesus Christ to be optimistic. The Scriptures say, "Let no corrupt or negative word proceed form your mouth, but only what is good and useful to the hearer." Here, the Apostle Paul tells us that our words are to be useful and not negative. We are to encourage others through positive faith-filled words, instead of tearing them down with destructive pessimism.

The Old Testament provides us with a study of optimistic and pessimistic people in the book of Exodus. Moses sent out twelve spies to investigate the Promised Land. Ten of the twelve came back with a negative, pessimistic report. They declared that conquest was impossible. The remaining two spies, Joshua and Caleb, told a very different story. They were convinced that the land was ripe for the taking. What was the difference? All twelve spies were privy to the same information during their reconnaissance, they just chose to interpret it differently. The ten pessimistic spies chose to exaggerate the opposition’s forces and devalue God’s ability to take and conquer the Promised Land.

Joshua and Caleb saw the Promised Land with optimistic eyes and believed God to enable them to conquer it. They encouraged the twelve tribes of Israel to be courageous and to believe God to grant them abilities to possess what He had given them. But the tribes of Israel chose to believe the negative report rather then the positive. This resulted in the loss of their God-destined inheritance.

It is clear from the biblical record that God's original intent was that Israel would go into the Promised Land and possesses it. That is not what happened. Instead, because of the unbelieving, pessimistic report of the ten spies, the children of Israel fell prey to unbelief and returned to the desert to wander for 40 years. In this act of unbelief, they lost their connection with God and their destiny.

We are like Israel. We learn in this story that God’s destiny for Israel was missed because of unbelief. We too can miss our God-given destiny because of a failure to believe in His plans and trust in His provision. The Scriptures say, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek him." It is our responsibility to maintain a faith-filled attitude and trust that God can help us become what He desires. Without this optimistic attitude of faith of we will surely miss God’s highest for our lives.

Too many people wait for their ship to come in. I believe, instead of waiting for the ship to come to us, God would have us swim out to the ship. It is clear in the Bible that God is drawn to those who have a courageous optimism about the promises of God. People such as Peter, Samson, King David, the Apostle Paul, and Daniel were all rewarded for their actions of faith. Men and women of God have an optimistic faith that constantly reaches out to a loving God. The result, time and again, is His intervention in their lives.

The Bible is honest concerning the opposition against those who trust and believe in God. It does not sugar coat or hide the difficulties of life. However, God’s Word announces that in Christ we can do all things. Success is largely the result of attitude. Our attitude should be one of faith and expectancy in the purposes of Christ for our life.

Our Promised Land cannot be found on a map. Neither is it apiece of material wealth. Our Promised Land is a secure family, favor with those we work with, peace with God, and to know we are growing more Christ-like. Now is the time to evaluate our own lives and ask whether we are faith-filled or pessimistic as we head into the future. One thing that will help us grow in faith is to attend church in the Kings County this weekend. The Pastors will be looking for you this week.