Have you ever met someone who after meeting them, you knew that you would never be the same again? What was it they said or did that changed you?
Everyone we meet has an impact on our lives to a greater or lesser extent. Take a moment and think about a person who had biggest impact on your life.
We have the ability to be one of two kinds of people. We can be a thermometer or we can be a thermostat. The difference it huge.
Passive: A thermometer measures the temperature of the surrounding environment. It can tell you if it’s warm or cold. That is it.
Active: A thermostat changes the temperature of the surrounding environment. It can be turned up or down to affect the temperature.
When we open a history book, we are reading about people who acted as thermostats throughout time. At first blush, we find that certain groups changed history. Upon deeper investigation we discover that at the center of the group was single individual who was a thermostat. The one person who had the vision and set the tone for others to follow. History was made.
Jesus Christ, William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, and dozens more were thermostats at the epicenter of changing the world for good.
If you want to know the temperature of our culture, just turn on the TV, read our news papers, magazines, listen to our popular music and study our laws. They all reflect the morals and values of our culture.
If you want to change the temperature of our culture, you must be bold by stepping out of the mob. Whether you are a student, stay at home mom, a CEO or Senator you have the ability to be a thermostat. You have the power to set the tone an affect change for good in your environment.
Passive Thermometer: Stop doing what is popular and following the mob.
Active Thermostat: Begin thinking about ways to change the culture for the better. Begin at home. Start in your little corner of the world. That’s where I am being a thermostat. I set the tone for my family. I take responsibility for it!
Throughout history, it has always boiled down to one person with the courage to stand up for what is right and true. Those individuals who changed the temperature were ‘different’ than the culture.
One of my favorite quotes comes from Dr. Jack Graham;
“You can’t make a difference in the world unless you are DIFFERENT from the world”
A new year begins in less than 48 hours, will you be a thermometer or thermostat?