Today’s thought provoking devotional is written by Sarah Beth Cody.
It’s that time of year again – 75 one day, 42 the next. We bring out our shorts and our tees and our floppy hats, only to drag out the fleece we smugly stuffed in the back of our closet one week before. It’s emotionally exhausting, this thing I call weather whiplash.
One day last week, after running back inside for a second layer after being slapped by an unexpected wind upon walking out the door for work, my body temperature connected to my mind, which connected to my heart, which connected to what my spirit knows to be true.
We are so like Mother Nature, you and me – on a mountain one day, wallowing in the valley the next. We lift our hands to Jesus on Sundays and to social media on Mondays. We share “prayer requests” for a chance to share the secret we heard from so-and-so who talked to tweedle dee’s boyfriend who – gasp! – was a part of that mess we mentioned last week during prayer requests.
We’re not hot, but we won’t claim to be cold. We lie right in the middle, worse than a glass of milk left sitting out for too long. There’s a reason people only want to drink milk when it’s ice cold and hot chocolate when it burns your tongue a little more with each sip – anything in between is nearly intolerable.
How much more is our spirit affected by such a temperature? “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16)
I beg you – don’t forget God’s good, sweet grace here. He gives us this picture because He corrects and disciplines everyone he loves (Revelation 3:19). But (you knew that was coming) we simply cannot deny what straddling the fence does to our spirit. Life was not meant to be lived in a pie chart – I’ll honor Jesus here, I’ll ask for forgiveness there – and it certainly wasn’t meant to be lived on soggy, lukewarm ground.
No more weather whiplash. No more multiple personalities. No more lukewarm lattes.
Let’s be steadfast and immovable (1 Corinthians 15:58). Let’s embrace the heat. Like a moth to a flame, may we run ever faster to the One who will never leave us running back for a sweater. Summer is here – amen!
