I’m willing to bet this could be among the strangest analogies you’ve ever heard with regard to what God has made us to be! It was so to me when I first saw it in a short reading from Brian McLaren of the Center for Action and Contemplation. But the more I thought about it, the more I appreciated the thought that Mr. McLaren was trying to convey. I’d like to do my best to break it down here in this blog entry.
There are so many scriptures where God speaks the most amazing, positive, loving things about us. If you are ever stuck in a compulsive thought cycle dwelling on your broken sinfulness, please do yourself a favor and do a scripture study of what God actually says about us. You might be surprised at how many ways God reveals his loving attitude toward us. You’ll find a lot of these scriptures in our current (and past) CitySalt blog entries. But to get to the topic of thermometers and thermostats, I’d start with Ephesians 2:10…
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
To say we are God’s handiwork indicates that we are a creation in process, being formed, shaped and developed into someone he can use to carry out his purposes and plans on this earth. Nothing is static about God’s creation. Just look at the seasons, the movement of the solar system, the life cycle of plants, animals and humans. What are we to do with all this dynamic motion in our lives? How are we to respond to all the moving parts? Just looking at the current events in our world today, there is so much motion - but motion of the wrong kind. So much turmoil, so much destruction, so much hatred, so much fear, so much sorrow. It can be so overwhelming!
Well, here is where the thermometer analogy comes in. A thermometer simply reads the temperature in the room. It mirrors it. It absorbs it. It reflects it. In other words, it’s a pretty passive instrument. But what does a thermostat do? A thermostat can change the temperature in a room. It can adjust what’s happening around it. If you think of it in human terms, we have the power, supplied by God’s Holy Spirit, to de-escalate the tensions around us, to affect change in the negative environments, either in us or in those around us. We can be peacemakers. We can show love instead of fear and hatred. We can speak the truth in love, seasoned with grace… in a world whose natural tendency is to blame, take sides and fight.
There are certainly some ways we could get involved in problem-solving some of the large, global problems happening today. But we most definitely do have some influence in our daily lives at home, in our relationships, at work, in our neighborhood. It’s a powerful, godly thing to have compassion, to care. But if we leave it there, it’s a bit like a thermometer. If, however, we speak into it, if we show love rather than fear or hatred to someone, if we console someone or give to someone in need, as God directs us, then we are more like a thermostat…doing the good works God has prepared beforehand for us to do.
One of my favorite songs speaking to this subject is “Surely We Can Change” by the David Crowder Band. It goes like this:
And the problem is this
We were bought with a kiss
But the cheek still turned
Even when it wasn't hit
And I don't know
What to do with a love like that
And I don't know
How to be a love like that
When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do
Where there is pain
Let there be grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Help them be brave
Where there is misery
Bring expectancy
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Something
And the problem it seems
Is with you and me
Not the Love who came
To repair everything
And I don't know
What to do with a love like that
And I don't know
How to be a love like that
When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do
Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh surely we can change
Something
Oh, the world's about to change
The whole world's about to change
About the Author
John lives in Pleasant Hill with his dog, Gunnar, and a multitude of guests who enjoy the peace and beauty of the Cascade foothills. With three children and three grandchildren all living in Oregon, he is continually blessed with their company and the good food that always accompanies their get-togethers!