Grrr . . . #$@&%*. In our world today, are you more Pessimist or Positive? COVID. Border crisis. Gas prices. Global warming. Gun control. Drought. #$@&%*.

I know a number of people who get into a royal tizzy about most anything that doesn’t meet their expectations or fit their schedule. Granted, there is much to question and exercise free speech over in our country today, but some folks twist in a riled-up mess about most anything. These individuals are downright vinegary (what a grand word!) pessimists who rant on with #$@&%*. The idiot #$@&%* leading us into more #$@&%*. The wait is #$@&%*! The coffee is #$@&%* cold.

Yikes. Are your ears melted yet? 

Life Tumbles and Trips

I totally agree that one look around our country and across the globe and much of what we see is dour. But, my peace and contentment is not based on my everyday circumstances. Life tumbles and trips way too much in a week for me to think I can hang on and wrangle everything to my liking. I may be capable and creative, but I am not Super Woman. Or God. Nope. Way above my pay grade and expertise.

Obstacles, afflictions and setbacks are intriguing to me and as “old as time.” If you study ancient history, you can’t miss earliest civilizations struggling against their rulers and societal conditions. #$@&%*. Dare I name the Assyrians, the Mongols, the Celts? Notbably, many of these folks were pessimists to perfection! The #$@&%* doddypoll (15^th century for “fool”) #$@&%* leading us into more #$@&%*.

Dousing Fiery Ordeals

All this pessimistic angst reminds me of an excerpt from author and speaker Beth Moore’s book, Children of the Day. Beth concludes that toil and trouble were part of the people’s lives in early days as much as they are part of ours today. Beth poses some questions about bending and not breaking when facing pessimistic-challenging obstacles. Or dousing “fiery ordeals,” which relates to age-old weapons including fire arrows, fire lances, flaming blankets and more (read more about ancient deadliest weapons here). Beth Moore writes:

What if we really did come to expect fiery ordeals, not as pessimists
but as the prepared? What if we did come to expect that life was going to
push us with pressure to compress us? What if we were ready to advance
for things like peer pressure, cultural compression, and religious
oppression? If we’re not prepared, when they push, we are moved.

But if we are prepared, we plant our feet, bend our knees, and hold tight with all
our might. The beautiful part is that Scripture doesn’t stop at telling us
we’ll have pressures and afflictions. It also tells us in advance that none
of them will be wasted. They’ll all work out for our good (Romans 8:28, 37)
. . . . Without a shadow of a doubt, our perseverance will be rewarded (Hebrews 10:35-36).

Dousing Fiery Ordeals

Take stock. Are you more pessimistic or more patiently prepared? What would it take for you to make a small adjustment in your thinking so you are not upended by #$@&%* fiery ordeals? What’s one thing you can do this next week to be patiently prepared?

Plant your feet, hold tight. Bend your knees. Eventually, the good will come.

Don’t let the world’s #$@&%* go to waste in your life. Your perseverance will . . . in time . . . be rewarded. I swear it will.