Heat

Opinion

We all have different opinions on a variety of issues, some funny and some very serious. For example, the weather is starting to warm up around these parts. I saw that today set a record for heat in Little Rock. I know that there are many people who are so happy to be wearing shorts and sandals. However, the present author is not one of them. I HATE hot and humid weather. I know that is a strong statement, but I will stand by it. I often joke that I never complain about the cold weather because I want to reserve the right to complain about the hot weather. In reality, the preference for hot or cold is not an issue of right or wrong but individual opinion. In all honesty, many people simply go from complaining about the cold weather to complaining about the hot weather. When I was in the ninth grade our agriculture teacher taught a wise little poem about this very thing.

    People may falter but they’re bold
    When it's hot they want it cold
    When its cold they want it hot
    Always wanting what is not!

Of course the point of the poem is about content] but the post today is more about thinking about our own perspective and preferences and our attitude when we disagree about important matters.

Thermometers

Thermometers are used to gauge the relative temperature of something. When it comes to our own opinions we are often blissfully unaware of the degrees of difference that we may have with other people, even other people that we love very much. Since this is so, we can at times say  things that we think are rather average temp, but that come across scathingly hot. As a person who uses a lot of words I am unfortunately painfully aware of this phenomenon. This is especially challenging when the difference in opinion is not over air temperature or food preference, but over issues dealing with morality, truth, and compassion. I wish I could write out for you a couple of brilliant sentences that would give you the tools to always discern the temperature correctly, but alas, I have not mastered that wisdom myself. But hopefully this is a cautionary call to be gauging the mercury in the thermometers of your conversations and relationships.

Thermostat

The great thing about the thermostat is that it doesn’t just tell you the temperature, but gives you the ability to set the desired level. Again, it may seem like it would be a lot easier to navigate our lives if we could just set a nice mild climate for all our conversations and interactions. Maybe in this fictitious world all our differences over politics, religion, and world peace could be solved with pleasant conversation. But in the real world I think that there are some key components of a good thermostat in our relationships.
First, we must maintain an attitude of genuine humility. Pride, no matter how well intentioned, is bound to do harm and bring about destruction. Second, we must have love (Ephesians 4:15). Real affection! Here, I mean that this must be more than just a nice acquaintance or temporary tolerance. We must have a love for one another that goes deeper than being fans of the same team or having the same goals. We need to deeply care for and love one another. Finally, we must speak the truth (Ephesians 4:25). No one is served well by lies no matter how well meaning they may be. We must speak the truth in love but it is not loving to refrain from speaking when we know we should. If we fear losing the relationship more than we fear what will happen to the person, then we love the relationship more than we love them.

Seasons

The taming of the tongue is more art than science. The scripture is clear that this endeavor is difficult and dangerous (James 3:1-12). We also must realize that like the seasons sometimes will be more difficult than others. But regardless of if we are facing a cold shoulder or a  heated debate, let us seek to do so with humility, love, and truth.

---