Climate Control

Climate [klahy - mit]

-noun

The composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds...

I'm pretty sure our thermostat is broken.  We can set the A/C at 76 degrees before going to bed and then wake up to a frigid house with it reading an indoor temperature of 80 degrees...  LIES!  I'm calling your bluff, thermostat!  Sure, you're pretty neat with your "indiglo" display that reminds me of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles watch I used to wear in the 90's but you're still not fooling me.  The tip of my nose feels like an ice cube... 80 degrees my hindquarters!

Temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and wind are all components of weather that combine to make up something called climate.  Every region of the world has a climate.  Some areas are particularly rainy, some are hot, some windy, and any permutation of all of the above.

Well, consider that everywhere you go there is another form of climate.  A sort of invisible and intangible climate, yet one we all perceive on some level.

Have you ever walked into a room and suddenly felt uneasy?  Or perhaps there are certain people that you feel relaxed and happy around? How about an environment that always seems to drag you down and suck the life out of any good day you were having?

That's the climate I'm talking about.  The "feel" we all generate everywhere we go.  This climate is composed of elements like emotion, attitude, mood, and disposition. And any given combination of people will create a different overall atmosphere.

So, let me cut to the chase.  What kind of climate do you create?  Do you bring rays of sunshine everywhere you go (pardon the cliche) or are you a black hole for happiness?  Maybe somewhere in between?

A number of years ago I was listening to a good friend of mine, Joe Quernemoen, preach about how we can influence people around us and something he said struck me.

"We need to be atmosphere shifters."

What does an atmosphere shifter do?  Well, it's kind of like a human thermostat.  Joe was saying wherever we go, whether it is our workplace, our school, the grocery store, or your own home, you have the power to quite literally shift the emotional and spiritual atmosphere.

See, your mood is more contagious than the flu.  People around you pick up on your mood and start to show the same symptoms.  Whether thats a good thing or bad thing is up to you.

The apostle Paul talks about this concept in terms of a fragrance...

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. (2 Corinthians 2:15 NKJV)

Are you filling rooms with a sweet smelling aroma or are you THAT guy on the elevator?  Oftentimes it's not even in what you say but how you act.  Body language, facial expressions, eye contact, etc. can speak volumes about what's going on under the skin.

As a man of God, representing Jesus, I want things to change for the better when I walk into the room.  My joy should be contagious, my peace undeniable, my hope unfaltering, my love tangible, my countenance a blessing, my speech full of life.  Wherever I go, I want the very atmosphere of heaven to be released and a life-giving climate established that will last long after I leave.

I think as Christians we sometime embrace the verse where Jesus says "We are not of this world." (John 15:19 NLT) and use that as a crutch to justify our introvertedness, or even worse, have an "us versus them" mentality.  Maybe we even have pity on people who are "stuck in their problems" saying to yourself "If they only knew the error of their ways". 

But let this be a challenge to you.  Yes, we are not of this world but we are commissioned to establish the culture of our "home" here on earth.  "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." (Matthew 6:10)  Let's get out of our comfort zone and start changing the world around us.  

Go forth and conquer, fellow Atmosphere Shifters!