By: D. A. Slinkard
Sometimes I believe I did not move far enough south. This weather in Alabama can be so confusing as we are getting four inches of snow one week, and the next week we are just a few degrees under seventy. During the recent winter storm, as it was getting colder, my first thought was to adjust the temperature inside and it was this process that birthed the idea behind this article. When it gets cold outside, we recognize we need to turn up the temperature, and so we go to our thermostats and adjust the temperature.
I do not know about you, but I enjoy being warm especially when it is cold outside, but then I got to thinking about when we notice ourselves growing cold internally and not just physically. What should we do? I am reminded of the Words of Jesus Christ in Revelation 3:15-16, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
This could be in our spiritual walk, this could be in our relationships, this could be in our employment — we all go through these times in which we are just not on fire the way we know we should be. Going to my thermostat and adjusting the temperature made me realize that when we grow cold in our lives, it is simply time for us to decide to turn up the heat and focus our attention on giving our all.
We know when our temperature changes. Other people may not be able to look at you and tell, but if there is a change in your thinking or in your actions, you know it even when others do not. Even Jesus Christ said, “I would not have you to be lukewarm.” Yet here we go, many of us living our lives being complacent with a lukewarm lifestyle. We wonder why the struggle is so real for many Americans and it is because we are okay with barely getting by. We are okay with not giving our all in all. We are okay with having a desire that is frozen internally lacking a burning desire to succeed.
We will all face these times in which taking another step forward is too much of a struggle to even comprehend, but we must decide to act. We must mentally decide we are going to get hot. We must mentally decide we are going to adjust the internal thermostat we all have living inside of us. This life we are living comes down to the decisions we make daily, and sometimes our lives are impacted by the decisions we make by the second.
What exactly is a person to do if they are in a rut? No one knows you better than you do and those areas you are struggling in; you need to be honest with yourself. The areas you have grown colder in, you need to acknowledge. However, too many people think if they just ignore these portions of their life, they will not have to deal with them. By ignoring these areas, many people believe they can eliminate a portion of pain, if you will, in their life. Until you decide to make changes, you can ignore these aspects all you want, but eventually you will come face-to-face with these demons.
What has helped me when I notice my internal temperature changing is to make a list of the things I know I have grown cold to. This list is what you deem important in your life. And once you have this initial list, it is time to review each area one-by-one and in doing so it is time to face reality. It is time to recognize what you need to do to go from cold to hot. It is time to recognize what actions you must start doing immediately to change your internal thermostat. This is going to take some time, thought, and effort but you cannot wait to get started.
This is not an exercise you will want to fly through. If you are serious about making changes in your life, take your time. When you know what needs to be done, then it is time to go to your internal thermostat and turn up the heat. This will require action; and no one else can turn up your thermostat on life, but only you.
By: D. A. Slinkard
D.A. Slinkard would love your feedback. You can contact him at da.slinkard@gmail.com
April 19, 2024
