Post by AtomHeartMother on Jul 12, 2004 3:12:50 GMT -5
THERMOMETERS AND THERMOSTATS
--from Steve Goodier's popular book JOY ALONG THE WAY
Do you know the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat? A thermometer simply measures the temperature. It doesn't do anything about it. A thermostat measures the temperature and then responds. If the temperature is too high, a thermostat may shut off the heat. If the temperature is too low, a thermostat may trigger heat to turn on. It measures temperature and it does something about it. While a thermometer is a passive tool, a thermostat is an active tool. They both experience the temperature, but a thermostat responds.
Some people are like thermometers - they passively allow what may harm them to just happen. They have problems and difficulties and they believe there isn't anything that can be done about it. They feel helpless as they watch life happen. They feel as if they have no power. Others are more like thermostats. When they are faced with difficulty, they kick into action. They believe that something can be done; a solution can be found; a hurt can be healed. They respond; they make decisions; they go into motion.
Advice columnist Ann Landers said, "If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: expect trouble as an inevitable part of life. When it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye, and say, 'I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.'"
In other words, respond courageously and creatively. Do you know that you can be bigger than any trouble that comes your way? If you have become stuck because you feel frightened or helpless, it is time to respond. It is time to go into motion. It is time to activate your faith. When you become bigger than your problem, it cannot defeat you. Today - will you be a thermometer or a thermostat?
--from Steve Goodier's popular book JOY ALONG THE WAY
Do you know the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat? A thermometer simply measures the temperature. It doesn't do anything about it. A thermostat measures the temperature and then responds. If the temperature is too high, a thermostat may shut off the heat. If the temperature is too low, a thermostat may trigger heat to turn on. It measures temperature and it does something about it. While a thermometer is a passive tool, a thermostat is an active tool. They both experience the temperature, but a thermostat responds.
Some people are like thermometers - they passively allow what may harm them to just happen. They have problems and difficulties and they believe there isn't anything that can be done about it. They feel helpless as they watch life happen. They feel as if they have no power. Others are more like thermostats. When they are faced with difficulty, they kick into action. They believe that something can be done; a solution can be found; a hurt can be healed. They respond; they make decisions; they go into motion.
Advice columnist Ann Landers said, "If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: expect trouble as an inevitable part of life. When it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye, and say, 'I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.'"
In other words, respond courageously and creatively. Do you know that you can be bigger than any trouble that comes your way? If you have become stuck because you feel frightened or helpless, it is time to respond. It is time to go into motion. It is time to activate your faith. When you become bigger than your problem, it cannot defeat you. Today - will you be a thermometer or a thermostat?