I was about to interview my friend Chuck Swindoll at a listener event several years ago. Dr. Swindoll has been one of the top biblical teachers in the U. S. and has been featured on the radio program Insight for Living since its start in 1979. That program airs weekly on over two thousand radio stations worldwide. At our listener event, there were almost two thousand people, and as I started my first questions to Chuck, he interrupted me…and startled me.

“Ron, how do you keep from becoming cynical?” Chuck asked. That “out of the blue,” left-field question left me speechless…for a moment. To be honest, I’m not sure exactly how I responded. I probably talked about keeping the focus on Jesus and on our calling to serve Him. For whatever reason, cynicism was on Chuck Swindoll’s mind that day.

Mentor and leadership coach Fred Smith also has thoughts about cynicism:

“Cynicism has no integrity. Even though it often properly evaluates the present, it has no hope for the future.”

The Israelites lacked hope for the future even though they witnessed the amazing power of God to save them from Egyptian slavery. Yet their cynical nature came out verbally again and again. Listen to their comments to Moses, their leader:

… “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

Exodus 14:11-12 NLT

That’s being pretty cynical!

Jonathan Parnell, a pastor in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has some frank words about this kind of attitude that can sneak into our lives:

“Cynicism is that sneering bitterness toward all things true and deep. It’s the subtle contempt trying to contaminate the cheeriest of moments — that slow, thick smoke of pessimism toxifying the oxygen in the lungs of our hope….”

That’s a good warning for us to be on guard.

The apostle Peter in his letter to new believers, may have been addressing this skeptical attitude as people looked for the promises of the Lord to unfold:

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

2 Peter 3:9 NLT

Fred Smith concluded with these thoughts:

“As Christians we have the responsibility to accurately assess the environment and respond appropriately. Maturity allows us to see without falling into unhealthy cynicism. We always want to be realistic but keep our minds centered on the truth of the higher things.”

I like that. Be centered on the truth of the higher things. Let’s fix our hearts and minds on the higher things and cast aside any cynical or pessimistic attitude that may be starting to creep in.

As Paul said, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Philippians 4:8 NLT

Or, as I like to say…God’s best,