Even churches have pessimists, I’m afraid. I invite you to
join me in using this test to determine if you might be one of them:
1. You assume
the worst about most people and situations. Even
if everything sounds good, you assume there’s some ulterior unspoken motive.
2. You see
only the negative. You may think you’re the only
one in the room who sees reality (at least as you see it), but you never see
any positive.
3. Everything
is negative unless it’s your idea. If it’s your idea, though,
it’s all positive.
4. Every
sentence has a “but”… Even a sentence that begins with “I
really like that idea” still continues with a “but here’s the problem I see.”
5. You
see yourself as a realist, not a pessimist. I
don’t know anyone who considers himself or herself
a pessimist.
6. Optimists
bug you. In your opinion, they live in the clouds.
7. You
see everyone else around you as pessimists. In
many cases, they’re actually modeling you—but you don’t recognize it.
8. You
continually point out the difference between “faith”
and “foolishness.” You’re more concerned about crossing the
line into foolishness than you are about walking by faith.
9. Prayer is
not easy. That’s because genuine prayer requires looking
forward with hope and trust and confidence.
10.
Your friendships don’t typically last
long. Even brothers and sisters in Christ aren’t
interested in hanging around you for long—but your tendency is to blame them.
11.
This post bugs you. To be
honest, portions of this post bug me, and I wrote it! I, too, can be a pessimist
at times. Please pray for me.
What
other characteristics come to mind?
This article originally appeared here.
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