Being a Thermometer and a Thermostat

 

Let's start by explaining what each of these items are used for in daily life. A thermometer is an instrument that reads and tells you the temperature of a given area. It can be used outdoors or inside a building. A thermostat allows a person to set the temperature to a chosen certain degree of temperature inside a building. 

There are times in life when it is necessary to be one or the other and often both. It is important as moms, grandmas, friends, bosses and Christians to be a thermometer. We need to be able to read the temperature of a room of people or a situation. A watchful eye, carefully listening ear and a little wisdom will help us determine if there is a problem arising. When we feel the temperature rising in our area, we can step in and help to diffuse the situation. By the same token, if the room seems cold and drab and as though people are not warming up to one another or interacting as we hoped, we can also do something to help break the ice.

We are thermometers when we read the temperature of the room but when we step in to help change the temperature, we then become the thermostat. At our house we go over and change the setting on the thermostat of our furnace or central air unit depending on how warm or cold we feel in the house. It's as simple as hitting a button or turning a dial. 

Unfortunately, when dealing with people and temperatures of a situation, it takes more than hitting a button. People won't always respond in the way you hope as easily as an electrical device. Experience will help you get better at being a thermometer and a thermostat in most situations of life. 

There are many devotionals you can find online that tell you to be the thermostat and not the thermometer. I suppose as I read through those I can see their point. However, life is a balance and I think it's important to be both as you travel life's journey and deal with people. Many a problem can be diffused if we first read the temperature of the situation and then become the thermostat to set everything to a new degree. 

Just something to ponder. I can't believe I have gone well into March of 2024 before even making a single blog post. In my defense, I am again working on another book to publish on Amazon KDP and have devoted my time to that. Be on the look out for a release date some time in the near future.

One Holy Night

 

Wow! It's been awhile since I posted. I am not sure I have ever gone this long between posts. I was busy writing and publishing an eBook on Amazon KDP and continuing with a second book which I am determined to make long enough to be available in print. 

With Christmas approaching I wanted to talk about things surrounding that holy night. There are Christians who think it is wrong to celebrate Christmas. There are several reasons given. One is that we are never told to remember Jesus' birth in the Bible, only His death. Another is that it is celebrated at the wrong time of year. 

Well, I want to cover both of those today. While there is not a command given to remember His birth. I think that the fact that so much detail is written about the birth in Scripture, tells me that we ARE to remember. Are we not given the Bible to read, meditate on and study so that we can tell others? I am not sure we can fully cover telling people about Jesus dying without telling HOW He came. After all, if there wasn't a miraculous virgin birth, the dying on the cross as the sacrificial lamb would be pointless. God had the writers tell the story with many small details included. It's the details that make it important. I will look at some of the seen and unseen details later. 

Since we don't know the exact day that Jesus was born, I don't think it matters when it is celebrated. It's only important that we celebrate that Jesus came willingly to earth in a humble manner. He came in human flesh to experience all we experience. He came as a baby, needing care and instruction. He had earthly parents whom He was subject to (Luke 2:51). He increased in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52). He got hungry and thirsty and angry (Mark 11:12, John 19:28, Mark 3:5). He cried (John 11:35). He was tempted as we are but never sinned (Hebrews 2:18, 4:15). He came to suffer and die and rise again to usher in salvation and the mystery of the church age. There would have been no cross without that cradle! Jesus could have come in any way but God's plan, that was prophesied, was that He would come as a baby born to a virgin. I think that we should celebrate Christmas as long as we keep Jesus in the forefront of the season! He came to give the greatest gift ever given...Salvation, a way to be reconciled back to God even though we sin.

Now let's look at some of the unseen details. Mary was told that she would miraculously conceive and give birth to the Son of God. She as far as we know, did not know that He would some day walk on water as the song questions. She knew He was the Messiah but did not know the ins and outs and whens of the sequence of events as she raised Him. She still worried over Him as seen in the story when He went missing after the Passover feast and was found 3 days later in the temple. I love the show The Chosen. It gives such a human vantage point to draw from. One of my favorite episodes and scenes in the show is when Mary is telling the disciples around the campfire about having to wipe Jesus off after the birth. She goes on to tell how she and Joseph thought to themselves "this is the Son of God?" They obviously are in wonderment thinking that Jesus would have come out shiny and new and without any mess because of who He was. Now, we have no Scripture reporting that Mary and Joseph thought these things but I personally can see why they might have. The fact that Jesus came as a baby meant that He would know every aspect of what we humans go through. 

Recently, someone shared on Facebook a well written poem or story about how Mary knew she would be with child and it would be the Son of God but that Mary's mother did not know. Her mom did not have an angel come to her as far as we know from Scripture. Only Mary and Joseph got the privilege of an angel coming and telling them. Was Mary's mom supportive or did she think she was telling crazy stories? Did she suspect that Mary did not keep herself pure? How would you have handled it? As a parent, our instinct is to protect and encourage and correct but Mary's story was truly unbelievable. Did her mom face ridicule and judgement right along with Mary? Probably! That's the way people are. They stand in judgement of the parents when a child messes up. Just something to ponder. We will not know this side of heaven but this gives us another aspect of what Mary went through. By the way, Joseph probably also faced ridicule and gossip. 

Now, what about the inn keeper? Nope, there is no talk about an inn keeper in the Bible. Guess what! There is talk about how there was no room for them in the inn. An inn is a hotel, a public dwelling place. Therefore, it stands to reason that there was someone in charge of receiving payment from people to stay there. Someone like an inn keeper! That's a no brainer people! Did God foresee that preachers would some day preach about how we should not be like the inn keeper and make room for Jesus? I don't know but it sure makes for good sermons! Can you imagine how that inn keeper may have felt someday down the road about not allowing the Son of God into his inn? I wonder if the man ever knew that Jesus, the Messiah, was put out into the stable? Can you imagine the guilt? Hmm. How often do we fail to make room? How often do we fail to see what God is trying to show us or work out around us? 

This is starting to get a little long so I will wrap it up. One Holy Night that forever changed the world! A night that 33 years or so later led to a cross that brought redemption and salvation to mankind! Yep, I will celebrate! 

What To Do With Hurt Feelings

 

Hello there! It's been a little while since I blogged. I want to talk about what to do when someone hurts us. It happens to all of us. We can be wounded, sometimes deeply, by friends, family, and even strangers. People are often self-centered, speak or act without thinking or just plain old mean intentionally. We can be guilty of hurting others also.

One of the first things biblically speaking that we should do is forgive. Forgive immediately even through the hurt. The hurt may still sting but forgiveness is the best thing for your heart and soul. Once you forgive, you can more easily control your own temper as you talk to the person and let them know they have hurt you. Ephesians 4:31-32 says Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 - And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. 

We must resist the urge to retaliate. Romans 12:17-19 reminds us Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 - If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 - Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. This is harder to follow than to say I know! It goes on in verse 21 to say Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Colossians 3:12-13 says Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 - Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

I realize in the moment, in the freshness of the wound, these commands of God are hard to follow. However, if we will keep a humble mind full of meekness and remember that we sometimes hurt others it will help. 

Another thing that will help is to not allow ourselves to dwell on it. Don't let your mind linger thinking and thinking about what the person said or did. Philippians 4:8 says Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 

Something else to do is to stop and self evaluate. Is there any truth to what someone said about you? Are you guilty of what they may be saying about you? Maybe you need to try to make some changes within yourself. If what they said isn't true, then remember that God loves you so much he sent Jesus to die and make a way back to having a relationship with Him and you are fearfully and wonderfully made...these are things that are true and pure and honest and absolutely lovely to let your mind dwell on. 

One more thing... it will help in your forgiving if you remember that maybe the person was just having a bad day and lashing out or just speaking without thinking. Everyone is careless with words sometimes. 

I hope this was an encouragement to someone. 

 

To See the World

 The above lines are just the beginning stanza of a much longer poem. If you google this poem you will find various opinions of what it means. I'm not sure if any of the opinions are fully grasping the meaning. At least not how I see it.

What comes to my mind is for us to truly SEE what is before us each day. See everything for the specialness in which God created and intended them to be. A grain of sand is but a speck that built a beach. A wildflower is planted by God and shares with us a fraction of the beauty of heaven. When we look at God's creation through aww of Him, we can experience just a glimpse of infinity and eternity. What a beautiful world God made!

When we look at people through God's eyes, we see the souls He wants to save. ---For God so loved the world...John 3:16 --- He's not willing that any should perish...2 Peter 3:9

If we would see the world with heaven's view, we would love more purely, forgive more freely and witness about saving grace more tediously. See! Open your heart and see! 

Just a thought that's been on my heart lately. Hope it was an encouragement.

Fences for Protection

 

I heard a preacher say recently that fences are to protect. We fence yards to keep young children and pets safe from the street. People live in gated, fenced communities for safety for those who live there from strangers that may cause harm. 

Prisons have fences to protect the public from convicted criminals. Without those fences the criminal would probably go right back out and keep committing crimes. 

Fences at the borders of countries are meant to protect the citizens from those who would enter to cause harm. It also helps to protect the sovereignty of that country and the rights of the citizens. Rights and privileges of a country belong solely to it's citizens! This topic has become very divisive in the USA since 2008 and used politically to reinforce the divide and to try to gain votes in my opinion. 

We also tend to put up fences around our hearts as protection. We do this to try to prevent hurt and protect our emotional and mental well being. There is definitely a time and place for this but it can also be detrimental. We can keep people at such arms length that we never have real and honest relationships. Finding the balance between what kind of fence and how high of one to build and leaving a gate open to allow some people in and close can be tricky. We should remember that we shouldn't make one person pay for the sins of hurting us that another person committed. 

Just something to think about.

Carving Out a Place

 

It seems that we spend our lives trying to carve out our own spot in the world. Even as children and teens, at the same time we're trying to find a group to connect and fit in with, we're also trying to find our own identity and way to stand out and be noticed for our special talents and abilities. Not sure if that's pride or what. I think more likely it's wanting to matter. Wanting to matter in this world as we make a way of life for ourselves and those we care about. So, we chisel and carve a little here and a little there as we forge ahead. 

Some are trying to carve a place in their career, and see just where they can excel. Others are trying to carve a place in their education. Especially in higher education as they hope for knowledge to better themselves. 

Young couples are doing their best to carve out a place in the world separate from their parents. To make their own choices and see where life takes them.

The past two years my husband and I have been trying to carve a new way of life different  than we lived for 18 years. We're trying to use knowledge and wisdom gained from that former carving and see where we can chisel ahead to a place in a new church with different roles. To find more and new ways to minister to people. It's not easy. 

Sometimes the chisel and even the pick ax seem too dull and heavy for the task. Sometimes the area you're trying to carve on seems like granite and you're never going to get through to the place you long for so desperately. Just keep carving. Some day you'll look around and realize you do have a place and the carving is beautiful even if there's flaws where the chisel slipped.