Thermostats

My friend Eric recommended a book to me a little over a month ago, and one of the chapters has to do with the comparison between a thermometer and a thermostat. A thermometer reflects the temperature of the room, while a thermostat controls the climate of the room. 

The point being we are to strive to be thermostats: people who control the spiritual climate around them.

 
My friend Andrew was recently without a job for about a month. In our culture here in America, this would normally result in fear of the unknown, worry about how to provide, and a loss of self-worth over being jobless. In essence, most people would be thermometers, reacting to the circumstance.
However, every time I saw Andrew for that month, he was smiling, joking around, and offering encouragement while caring for those around him. Essentially, nothing had changed in his demeanor. He talked of how he was enjoying the time of rest, how the Lord was providing for him and his wife, and how the Lord was using him to bless the lives of others. 

Andrew is a thermostat. 

My sister Jael and her husband Marty lost their little girl, Hosanna, a few months ago. Many would have crumbled at such a loss, withdrawing from community and questioning their faith in a God who could allow that.  However, amidst their suffering, amidst their pain, amidst their questions, they continued to have faith in a God who might never answer that question of “why”. They talked of Hosanna being in a better place. They praised a God who was still faithful to them. Because of that reaction, several others have talked and wrote of their faith and have been encouraged. 

Jael and Marty are thermostats. 

Two thousand years ago a man decided to suffer the worst of deaths. He was beaten, crushed, humiliated, and crucified. While many of us live in sin and question why bad things happen to such “good” people, Jesus lived a perfect life and embraced the death we should have died. All of us would have ran, reacting to being treated so unfairly. We would have been thermometers. 

Luckily, Jesus chose to be a thermostat. 

Just like Andrew, Jael, Marty, and Jesus, we are all called to be thermostats. We are called to give thanks in all circumstances, not just when those circumstances are “good”. We are called to be joyful always, not just when our surroundings are pleasing to us. We are called to love others at all times, not just when we determine they are lovable. 

It is when we give thanks amidst persecution, have joy amidst suffering, and love amidst sin that God’s grace and power are clearly known. It is these times when we serve beyond human capacity, and therein lies the greatest opportunity to proclaim the gospel. It is in these times when we must make the most of every opportunity to be thermostats, changing the lives of those around us rather than letting our circumstances change us. 

Pray for the church, that among us, there may be no thermometers.