"Thermometers or Thermostats?"

 

“Thermometers or Thermostats?”

 

For some reason in recent years I’ve become intrigued with suffixes which give words added meaning. In 2024 I posted back-to-back articles “What ‘-Form?’” and “What Kind of ‘-Holic?’” Attaching “-form” suggests acting in a particular way (e.g. conform and perform) and “-holic” carries the idea of being controlled (e.g. workaholic and shopaholic). Each can affect us positively or negatively depending on the place we give them in our lives.

A couple of weeks ago I was looking through a stack of accumulated blog ideas to see if an old thought might gain new life (see “What to Write” for more on this process). I ran across a note of three words: “Thermometer or Thermostat?” “Thermo” comes from a Greek word for heat, “-meter” is derived from a Greek term for measuring conditions and “-stat” has its root in a Greek expression for stationary or a standard. Each suffix has technical and scientific usages as well as in everyday conversation and writing.

As I pondered this thought which became this article’s title I asked myself if I’m more like a thermometer or thermostat. Am I more prone to be unduly influenced by conditions around me or contribute in some way to making a positive impact? Paul warns us to avoid the former in Romans 12:2 (PH): “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within….” In other words, don’t be a thermometer which responds to conditions around us. In contrast, Jesus tells us that “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13-14), indicating that we’re to be agents of change for the good as salt enhances food’s flavor and light dispels darkness (stated another way, be thermostats).

God has prepared us for our role through Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17), the Spirit’s power (Acts 1:8) and His gifting (1 Peter 4:10). Are we ready to be the influencers rather than the influenced through our lives in a needy world?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan