“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” Revelation 3:15
As daylight slipped into dusk, the temperature seemed to follow. Almost without a point of notice, the air had turned chilly, making a change of clothes necessary for comfort. By the time it was time for bed, the outside temperature was in the low 50’s! We were sitting warmly inside the house, when a dilemma crept into my brain.
The dilemma was neither dramatic nor life shattering. But it took more than a couple seconds to sort through to a decision, which qualified the thought as a dilemma. We like to sleep in a cool room, so I set the thermometer at night to 72 degrees. The thermostat registered 75. Asking Katie if she preferred I turn the air conditioner down or to open the windows, she had no preference! So I opened the windows. All was well… until about 1:30am.
When I woke up I was uncomfortably chilly, so I threw on a light blanket lying beside the bed. At 5am I was shivering again, so I closed the windows and opted for a heavier blanket from the couch. When the alarm went off, the first thing I did was turn on the heat so Katie would be comfortable!
It dawned on me, as I made my way to the coffee maker for the automatically brewed coffee, that we humans ALL live life with a Goldilocks syndrome. We want our beds, not too hard or too soft, but just right. Porridge, if we like it at all, must not be too hot or cold… but just right. In fact, nearly EVERYTHING we need or desire must fit into a slim margin of error if it is to satisfy us at all. Enter Jesus!
The Bible is God’s Word and comes complete with instructions for His will, along with examples galore of people who have both followed Him… or not! Years ago, moving into the discipline of reading it daily was a work in itself. Being honest, there are times that I am DEEPLY moved, and other times when I get absolutely nothin’! Which is kinda cool!
When I started the Christian Faith I was a pre-teenager. I felt like Jesus didn’t like me if I didn’t FEEL His presence. It took a long time to learn that feeling is NOT necessary for faith to live well. It may be the way I ‘like it’ but it is not any kind of proof. In fact, feeling is not even necessary for Faith to do it’s work! Truly walking with Jesus Christ is an exercise that can be hot, cold or neither! The question is… am I WALKING?
This morning I passed Katie in the hall and felt no giant urge to embrace or shun her. She must have felt the same way, because as we passed, and at exactly the same time, we bumped into one another… intentionally! Then laughed in the acknowledgment. The point? Living life continually loving, learning, serving and acknowledging Jesus is a continual comfort. I don’t need to add anything else to make me FEEL otherwise.
How is YOUR relationship with Jesus?
