“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2
A friend of mine is a snowbird! That means he and his wife come down to Florida in the winter, then go home when the snow and cold are gone. He had asked if I would occasionally check on his place for him. I was doing just that, when I noted the discrepancy in the numbers on his thermostat! The thermostat had been set to 78, but the thermometer was registering 87! It was clear to me that, HE had a PROBLEM!
As much as I didn’t want to, I called to give him the news and to ask what he wanted me to do. He had a 2nd thingamabob above his thermostat, and he had me make an adjustment to it. When nothing happened, we both confirmed something was definitely wrong. He hung up to call his ‘AC Guy!’
In only a few moments he called me back to tell me that nothing was wrong after all! That 2nd thingamabob was a controller to a dehumidifier. What we both learned was that the temperature was 87 degrees, but the humidity in his home was low. Apparently HEAT isn’t as much a problem as HUMIDITY! What WE saw as a potential problem…really wasn’t at all!
It was the same day that I read an old devotional on this very issue. Since I am not one who believes much in coincidence, I had to smile at God’s timing and what He was trying to show me. The story told of a woman who had changed her WHOLE LIFE from being grumpy and grouchy to a life of joy and peace. It all changed when she saw her life in Christ as a thermostat. NOT as a thermometer!
Thermometer’s can only tell the average temperature in a room. They cannot adjust it! A thermostat change sets actions in motion that will adjust the ROOM to the desired temperature! The concept, along with this Bible verse, helps me see that I do NOT have to be a slave to my surroundings. That with Jesus Christ I have the ability and power to set, adjust and even BE the change that makes MY life more comfortable.
I know this sounds like an elementary school lesson. It should be standard operating procedure for me by now. I am ashamed that it isn’t. But I AM GRATEFUL that on a very hot day, God enabled me to learn a MAJOR lesson of life, at the possible expense of someone else!!! AND that no matter what I may SEE…it really ISN’T as hot as seems!
What is YOUR mind set on?
