I made a confession before the Lord and my wife at the
end of spring that I was never going to complain about the heat and humidity
this summer! I made the decision right
then and there when the temperatures were still moderate with the noticeable
absence of humidity. The fall and spring
seasons out here remind me a lot of our summer days near the coast back in
northern California. There is a
wonderful cool crispness on most mornings, a comfortable warmth during the day
and the cooling breezes that normally blow in during the late afternoon.
Summers on the east coast are a little (okay… a lot) different! They usually start out hot and humid, get
hotter and then cool a few degrees
late into the night! But I decided
before the comfortable weather changed that I was going to have a joyful and
thankful attitude during the hot season… especially
since we plan on being out here for quite a while! And for the most part, I have been able to
stand true to my word. I was more than
just a little tempted to complain when our air-conditioner went out back in
June, but was pretty much able to control my tongue!
You also learn to adjust
to the temperature differences. I now
expect to get hot and wet when I go out to work around the yard or toss the
ball to the dog! Since I’ve always
enjoyed outdoors activities, it actually feels kind of good! What I have come to understand this summer is
how to control the temperature in the house.
I quickly discovered that while it is great to get hot and perspire
while outside, coming back into an air-conditioned room is like walking into a
freezer and can rapidly become uncomfortable.
It can also be the cause of runaway sinuses and a summer cold!
So… between Piper’s inactivity and her need to stay
warmer and not shocking us when we come in, I have found what temperatures work
best for us in the different circumstances and activities of each day. Now that I have a little more control over
the environment of the house, life is much more livable and tends to help
assist in keeping a high level of JOY
in us throughout the day!
In Ephesians 5:18 the apostle Paul tells us to “be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
(KJV) The word ‘filled’ in this usage is in the present tense and literally means
to “keep on being filled.”* The verb is passive and infers that we do not fill ourselves but permit the Spirit to fill us!* Warren
W. Wiersbe also explained that in the New Testament the term ‘be filled’ usually refers to ‘being controlled by’* and that one of
the evidences of a Christian being controlled by or filled with the Holy
Spirit, according to Paul, is joyfulness.
Well that thought leads us right back to the earlier
example of my controlling the environment of our house with the temperature
settings I purposely punch into our digital thermostat. As Christians we are called to be the thermostat
in the situations of life that we are involved with and not a thermometer
that rises and up and down with whatever atmosphere that is being
established around us.
I have found that out through personal experience time
and time again, just about anytime Piper and I walk out our door! The technician who put Piper’s cute red cast
on the other day was kneeling and bending over before Piper so he could see her
eyes while he said a bunch of funny things.
Then at one point he apologized for being so silly in his conversation
with her to which I immediately replied that no apology was necessary! I then explained how special it was to both
of us that he took the time to not only acknowledge her, but get right down to
her level and talk with her eye to eye!
Most times people just look the other way when they see us coming!
That conversation opened the door for me to tell him a
little about Piper’s true outgoing and bubbly personality. I explained how people could not help but
smile and laugh whenever she walked into a room and greeted them and how much
it hurt me when people now ignore her… and
especially those who have known her before the dementia came into play. Piper always had the ability to let her JOY flow
unabashedly anywhere and at any time. It
was easy for her to almost instantly control the atmosphere of most places she
walked into.
You’ve heard the saying about making a frown turn upside
down? Well, she was a master at that
art… and she didn’t hardly have to even
try… it just is a part of who she is!
Since we have been on our journey of faith for Piper’s
healing, I have come to see that a major part of my responsibilities is to try
and assure that Piper stays within an atmosphere of joy, faith and peace. As we walk around in public it is too easy to
allow the depression and fear that surrounds us to have an inroad into our
dispositions. Therefore I am constantly
on the alert as to ways that I can build the faith of those around me.
Sometimes it is just a smile, at other times it’s a word
of personal encouragement, but most times it is a simple sharing of our faith
in God’s Word concerning His will for Piper’s health, like I did at the
Orthopedic clinic a few days ago. It
always surprises me of how much a little influx of faith can change the
atmosphere in a room!
So
what about you? Are
you a THERMOMETER or a THERMOSTAT? Do your emotions, feelings and faith go up
and down with the sway of the situations you find yourself involved with… or
does your JOY work to change the
atmosphere into one of peace and of faith?
Give JOY a chance in the events of your life this weekend! Have a great weekend and keep asking
yourself… “Who am I expecting to control
the situations of my life today?”
*”Be
Rich” A Commentary on the book of Ephesians by Warren W. Wiersbe, chapter 11
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