Thermostat or Thermometer

[This post originally appeared in the Daily Nudge newsletter, written by Karl Faase]

I was impressed recently by a writer who encouraged people to think of themselves as thermostats rather than thermometers. A thermometer measures and reflects the temperature around it. A thermostat helps to set the temperature and to make a change. There is a great pressure to function like a thermometer in our community. We can pick up the values and attitudes of the people around us. Our lives are just like everyone around us as we seek to achieve the same goals. Our agenda is driven by the majority-opinion in our community. Being a thermometer is much easier as you just blend in. A thermostat on the other hand actually works to make a change for the better within the community by monitoring the social temperature and then seeking to adjust it. A thermostat’s role in setting the temperature is actually an example of how we ought to influence our community. We should have the courage to be different. Jesus’ encouragement to anyone who follows Him is to be someone who sets the social temperature rather than reflect it.

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