Buckets of Refreshing

Overall, this summer has been extremely pleasant for someone who is not a fan of high heat.  Cool days and cooler nights have come to a temporary end as the heat arrived and seems to want to stay.  My plants that seemed refreshed and able to handle the heat this morning were bowed down and droopy by this afternoon.  The soil seemed as if the moisture was evaporated out at such a rate that what was okay this morning was completely dry by evening.  Grabbing the bucket and filling it up multiple times from the garden hose, plants were watered slowly.  Too fast and the water just rolls off.  Slowly, repetitively, water needs to be added, allowing it to sink in.  One time watered, two time watered, and slowly I watched the water sink in.  After an evening and night to soak in the new water, tomorrow the plants will be recharged.  Of course, that is water for one day.  Tomorrow evening, in this heat, water will also be needed again.

I feel like these plants sometimes.  The heat of a busy day arrives and what started out as refreshed ends as drooped and bowed to the sun.  I can feel dried out, over extended and badly in need of refreshing.  In fact, I’ve been feeling that way in the last few months off and on.  Wonderful opportunities to be involved in so many different projects and activities, doing great things to serve – things I want to do.  But, without refreshing I will be as dry as that dirt.  Yet, I have noticed that as refreshing comes from the Lord, and it does come, it comes like the water from the bucket – a little at a time.  It came in watching fawns for some time this afternoon.  It came from an unexpected encounter waving to a friend during an afternoon.  It came from seeing a shooting star, a hummingbird, and a friend’s smile.  A child’s exuberant and unencumbered praise of Christ, the time in prayer, and the words of the Bible all come like cool water and refresh my spirit. 

Yes, I do bow with the heat and the dryness that life can bring, just with the schedule of things I love to do.  And yet, I am continuing to find each day, buckets slowly added to bring refreshing.  

Thermometers and Thermostats

First let me say I cannot claim the origination of this idea – it is from a beautiful book by Evelyn Christenson, Lord Change Me. 

Thermometers are useful tools; measuring the temperature at a given moment.  Put the glass into the sunlight and watch the liquid rise, degree by degree.  Move it into the shade and the falling liquid shows the lowering temperatures.  A thermostat measures instead the temperature and then works to change the temperature around it, matching a pre-programmed temperature.  The place is too hot; it’s time for colder air to be used.  Is it too cold, then it’s time for heat to flow through the air vents.

People can be like thermometers and thermostats.  I’m not referring to getting hotter or cooler by standing in the sun or shade.  But, our attitudes are a bit like temperature gauges.  After all, we refer to a temper as being hot headed and fiery.  Attitudes can also be cold, icy in fact as someone turns from caring into completely ignoring another person or simply not being aware enough to care. 

Yesterday was Monday.  Though I’m not really one of those people who believe that Mondays are just going to be terrible just because they are Mondays, it was a classic Monday.  I had physical therapy and that part went fine.  But, I forgot the card for a co-worker at home – oh well, bring it tomorrow.  I got to work and again, it wasn’t bad, just busy.  Before I knew it, it was eleven o’clock.  Where had the morning gone?  It seemed like I just couldn’t move fast enough to both catch up and move ahead.  I really prefer to have every thing organized and act proactively rather than just react to the daily oddities that occur.  A webinar during lunch led to a short time to get some work done before heading to another meeting, and then rolling into another meeting.  I looked out the window – when did it get dark?  There were moments of frustration, when I could feel myself getting annoyed.  Please don’t try and talk to me when I’m on the phone.  Please just listen to my answer and go do your thing.  Please – I’m off limits for just thirty minutes….  If I were a thermometer today, my attitude would have been room temperature.  Then, it slowly would have climbed, cooled, climbed, cooled, etc…  How exhausting! 

Instead, I chose to be a thermostat.  There will be more work to do tomorrow, there will be phone calls to answer, problems to solve, research to do, and e-mails to read.  But, it is my choice to have a good attitude through the stressful moments.  And when I have a good attitude, I do not contribute to a thermometer moment someone else might be having.  Instead, I can help change the temperature around me.  It is work, just like changing my attitude to match that pre-set temperature, and then making sure my actions, words, and reactions are matching where they should be. 

Follow God’s thermostat, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness,”  (Ephesians 4:20-24).  Can you imagine what it would be like if God were a thermometer and not a thermostat?  If you haven’t figured it out yet – just go look at the ashes next time you have a bonfire – yep – that would be me and you down there, dust and ash.  Instead, we have a Father who loves us to keep close to Him and reflect His temperature.  This is the part that is so exciting – we don’t have to set the temperature!  That part is already done for us.  Instead, we must work to maintain that temperature.