It often feels like we are literally one telephone call, text message or argument away from rejoining the rollercoaster of life.
Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that everything can’t be smooth all of the times, but there is a big difference between greeting life’s challenges with a sense of calm and solitude, versus the stomach churning life threatening yo yo, that means ‘here we go again’.
Your feelings and emotions are a valuable part of your make up, but living by feelings as opposed to living by faith only contributes to the rollercoaster, so what’s required in such circumstances is a thermostat instead of a thermometer.
A thermostat is the component of a control system which senses the temperature of a system so that the system’s temperature is maintained near a desired set-point.
The thermostat does this by switching heating or cooling devices on or off, or regulating the flow of a heat transfer fluid as needed, to maintain the correct temperature. The name is derived from the Greek words thermos “hot” and statos “a standing”.
In basic terms a thermometer goes with what atmospheric conditions suggest, whereas a thermostat regulates the atmosphere to bring things into line with the set point.
Getting either too high or too low emotionally will always be a barrier to true mental strength, because being out of control emotionally makes it impossible to manage life in a rational, constructive way.
Every happening of our lives, whether good or bad, serves a higher purpose.
Resetting the thermostat means being able to see past the moment and discern the greater meaning of any given situation.
You may not understand it in the beginning, but as time goes by, you’ll begin to see the bigger picture falling into perfect order.
