Every family has that person at Christmas. You know the one. The walking rain cloud. The human Eeyore. The person you simultaneously love… and also avoid standing next to while decorating the tree. You may not always notice them—or maybe they’re all you notice. They show up every year like clockwork, ready to suck the joy right out of the room. Maybe it’s a person. Maybe it’s a mindset. Maybe—brace yourself—it’s you. You know the type. Someone says, “The tree looks great!” They shoot back, “It’s leaning.” You announce, “Dinner’s ready!” They sigh, “We’re probably going to run out.”

You’re wrapping gifts in full Christmas spirit. They mutter, “They won’t like it anyway.” People start having fun. They whisper, “This feeling won’t last.”

We all know this pessimist. And if you don’t know who it is in your family… well… it might actually be you. These kinds of people don’t just crash holiday cheer. Pessimism becomes a lifestyle. They can’t see good in anything, and it’s exhausting to be around. They drain your energy faster than Christmas toys drain AA batteries. I’ve bumped into this mindset plenty of times in my own life. I remember taking some shoes to Plato’s Closet recently—just trying to declutter. Six pairs in great shape. They took one. One pair. The girl at the counter basically informed me that the others weren’t “cool” anymore. That was the day I realized I’m no longer a young adult. I’m just… an adult. And apparently not a cool one. Sorry if that ruins your view of me forever. But even earlier in life, people loved to sprinkle pessimism like stale holiday glitter over everything.

When Jen and I got married, folks said things like:

“It’s all downhill from here.”

“Say goodbye to happiness.”

“You’ll just tolerate each other eventually.”

And I’m standing there thinking, Wow, thanks for the Hallmark encouragement card. The truth? Jen and I are more in love today than ever. Marriage hasn’t been downhill—it’s been work, growth, and joy.

Then when Jen was pregnant, the pessimists came out full force:

“Say goodbye to your happiness.”

“It’s not about you anymore.”

“Good luck with your social life.”

Can’t people just celebrate without being a total buzzkill?

But here’s the thing: pessimistic people aren’t new. They’ve been around since the beginning of the Christmas story. The Messiah's arrival was surrounded by doubters, skeptics, eye-rollers, and people who talked themselves out of hope. And yet—not once in all of Scripture did God fail to keep a promise. So this "Complicated Christmas" week, we’re looking at the long road of biblical pessimists—from Isaiah 7 to the birth of Jesus to the pessimism we live with today.

And it all starts with King Ahaz.

Ahaz: The Original Christmas Party Pooper

Isaiah 7 drops us right into a crisis around 735 BC. King Ahaz of Judah is being pressured by surrounding nations to join a military alliance. When he refuses, they attack Judah to force him in. Fear floods Jerusalem. Isaiah 7:2 says the people shook like trees in the wind. Enter Isaiah. God sends him to tell Ahaz: “Keep calm. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose heart. These enemies won’t defeat you.” Ahaz should have breathed a huge sigh of relief. God Himself said everything was going to be okay. Instead? Ahaz spiraled. Pacing. Panicking. Checking news updates. Freaking out over worst-case scenarios. Refusing to trust God. God even told him, “Ask me for a sign.” Ahaz refused—trying to look holy, but really just being disobedient. So God gave a sign anyway:

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” —Isaiah 7:14

Why this sign? Because the tribe of Judah had to survive. That’s where the Messiah would come from. This prophecy had a near fulfillment in Ahaz's day AND its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus hundreds of years later. But even then, pessimists surrounded the promise.

Pessimists All Through Scripture

Ahaz doubted God could save him.

Sarah laughed at God’s promise.

Moses gave excuses until God shut him down.

Israel complained every time anything went wrong—even after the Red Sea miracle.

The prophets’ audiences rolled their eyes at every Messianic prophecy.

Then in the New Testament:

Zechariah didn’t believe the angel in the sanctuary.

Joseph planned to quietly exit the situation.

Religious leaders nitpicked every miracle Jesus did.

Thomas needed proof before believing the resurrection.

Scripture is full of pessimistic partypoopers. And yet God fulfilled every single promise He made.

Modern-Day Pessimism Isn’t Much Different

Today we hear:

“The Bible is outdated.”

“Miracles don’t happen anymore.”

“Prayer doesn’t work.”

“God won’t fix this.”

“People don’t change.”

You share what God told you—people give you that look.

You believe for healing—they say, “Don’t get your hopes up.”

You pray for a prodigal—they shrug, “People don’t change.”

We’re surrounded by pessimism.

But here’s the truth that cuts through every doubt:

People doubt but God delivers.

People panic but God promises.

People fear but God fulfills.

Isaiah 55:11 says God’s Word never returns empty. Romans 12:12 tells us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Ahaz didn’t listen. But God stayed faithful anyway. And the same God who fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy in Bethlehem is the God working in your life today.

What Do We Do While We Wait?

Pessimism thrives in the waiting room. So Scripture teaches us to:

1. Choose hope — not denial, but trust in God’s unseen work.
2. Develop patience — not passivity, but faith in adversity.
3. Cling to Scripture — because God’s promises have a perfect track record.
4. Guard your faith from pessimists — don’t let them narrate your story.
5. Look forward to Christ’s return — because the God who fulfilled the first Christmas will fulfill the last one.

How We Become Pessimistic Without Realizing It

Most people don’t become pessimists on purpose. It happens slowly. After waiting… and waiting… and waiting.

After unanswered prayers. After disappointments that sting deeper than we expected. And suddenly, almost secretly, we stop expecting God to move. We become the party pooper in our own story. But the Bible shouts this truth over every discouraged heart: God has never once failed to keep a promise—not in Isaiah’s day, not in Bethlehem, not in the resurrection, not today.

The Question That Awakens Hope Again

So take a breath. Be honest with God. And ask: What promise from God have I become pessimistic about?

When did I stop believing? Let that question reawaken your heart. Let it open the door for hope again. Because God’s Word has never come back empty—and He isn’t about to start with you.

God Is With You in the Waiting

People waited 700 years after Isaiah for Jesus. Israel wandered 40 years. Abraham waited 25 years. The disciples waited three days that felt like eternity. And now we wait for Christ’s return. Waiting is part of faith. Hope is part of faith.

Trusting God when we can’t see the outcome is part of faith. Even when pessimistic partypoopers say He won’t… God always keeps His promises.