30 DAYS TO TAMING YOUR TONGUE DAY 14

DAY 14 THE CYNICAL TONGUE

Cynical people are angry, disappointed, resentful and mistrustful of those they feel should be acting in their best interest. Like a rotten apple in a barrel of good ones, a cynic negatively impacts EVERYBODY they touch. Cynics exist in every environment; home, work, government, social organizations, even in churches.

The story of David in the Bible, we ready that his oldest brother was a cynic. When David went down to the battle grounds and saw Goliath intimidating the Israelites, David became indignant. Saying he would take care of that “Philistine”.  His brother heard this and scorned David’s confidence and motives.

A person who is cynical scorns the motives of others. It is like VENOM; it poisons the atmosphere wherever it is present. It can wreak havoc on any relationship and in any environment.

If you are a leader, manager or other person who impacts others and you desire to minimize the development of cynics, in your realm of influence, consider these strategies:

1.     Keep key supervisors, team leaders or other of influence involved in the decision making process. People will embrace change better if they believe their preferences, suggestions and opinion have been represented, genuinely heard and considered.

2.    Keep people informed of changes in originally-agreed-upon plans or decisions-else, they may feel they have been ignored or have become victims of “bait and switch” tactics. Never surprise them with an announcement of an unexpected negative decision. All surprises should be pleasant.

3.    Validate people’s feelings by addressing their concerns with open and honest dialog. Provide good rationale as to why a course of action cannot be taken.

4.    Acknowledge, admit responsibility and apologize for past mistakes and bad decisions. Explain what actions will be take in the future to avoid further problems. People will connect with you better when you show vulnerability by apologizing rather than when you try to justify your actions.

5.    Where possible confront a cynic and ask what you can do to help restore their trust.

READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

PROVERBS 14:6 PROVERBS 22:10  PROVERBS 1:22

1)               Read Psalm 1:1-3 and highlight it in your Bible. What do you think it means to sit “ in the seat of the scornful”

2)              What three blessings are promised in Psalm 1:3 to those who resist cynicism?

3)              Because cynicism is a coping mechanism for those who feel powerless to effect change in their lives, people often make up their own reasons why the state of affairs exist, in order to deal with their hopelessness. Is there an environment in your life in which you have lost any hope of ever seeing a desired change? What rationalizations do you make to yourself (or to others) as to why things will never change?