My God,
help me today to cast off the armor of cynicism, which shields me from pain but also shuts me out from Your joy.
So often have I chosen this posture in my life. Instead of seeing Your gift in my family members, I have sought out their flaws. Instead of being grateful for my work, I have focused on its hardships.
A part of me resists, you know? It whispers to me that if I choose to see the best in others, if I open my heart, people will take advantage of me.
This fear of naivety, of being wounded, builds walls all around me. Yet this morning, I hear in my spirit that quiet, liberating question: “So what? Wouldn’t you be happier?”
Lord, help me to embrace this freedom. Help me understand that the only alternative to a life free from fear is a self-preserving, crippling pessimism. I do not want to live this way. I refuse to let cynicism, driven by fear of the future and anger over the past, be my daily bread.
I confess that at times, a coworker’s joy disturbs me. I confess that I search for ulterior motives behind a neighbor’s kindness. I confess that when things are going well, I am simply waiting for it all to fall apart. Help me to find an End of the Thought Spiral of cynicism.
Your word calls me to something entirely different.
“Rejoice always.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
Lord, how can I rejoice when my senses have grown numb to beauty? I ask You, open my eyes to the warmth of the first morning coffee, to the unexpected kindness of a store clerk, to a sincere embrace after a difficult day.
In these moments of wonder, free me from my fixation on myself. Free me, so that for a moment, I might cease to be the center of my own world. For I know that when this happens, I become kinder to others, more generous, less entitled. You are inviting me to experience You.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8)
I no longer wish to build walls that cause me to miss out on joy. Cynicism whispers that my coworker is incompetent, that my friend is using me, and that every good moment is fleeting. But You show me another path.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)
This joy is not merely an emotion, but a strength. It is a wellspring from which I can draw when all around me is gray and difficult.
“Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)
Today, I reject the lie that people cannot be trusted and that life will not end well. I choose Your truth: You are worthy of trust, and in the end, You work all things for the good of those who love You.
I ask You, just as You removed the veil from Moses so he could see Your glory, remove the veil of cynicism from my face. Enter my life, Lord, and transform me, that I might become brighter and more beautiful.
May my life reflect Your glory and goodness, that I may bring the Joy that I am Yours to all whom I meet.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Today, I consciously choose joy. I choose You, Lord, and the signs of Your work in the world around me.
Amen.
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