Thermometer or Thermostat?

Last night I was sitting in choir practice as the lone tenor for the entire practice. Our other tenors were out and about doing various other things so it was up to me to carry the tenor line during practice. My normal strategy is to sit next to Pete. If I sing what Pete is singing I'm generally going to be OK. Otherwise it will always be an adventure. I have the ability to match what I hear singing around me but if you pointed me at a sheet of music and said "sing this note". I would probably not hit it. Fortunately John helps by occasionally singing the tenor line to get me in the proper range.

The difference between a thermometer and a thermostat is in how they react to the environment in which they are placed. A thermometer always adjusts it's reading to match the ambient temperature of the room it is placed in. Meaning it always displays "room temperature". A thermostat measures the temperature in the room and makes adjustments to the temperature to achieve a desired goal.

In the choir I am still in thermometer mode. Place me in the middle of a group of tenors and I will sing the right note. In thermostat mode the tenor line will start to sound a lot like the main melody of the piece of music (even if the tenor line is not the main melody)

Being a thermometer is not bad. Being a thermostat is not bad. I think we will shift between the two modes of operating depending on the situation.

The key idea is the following:

• If I am reacting to a situation (thermometer mode) is my reaction appropriate?
• If I am influencing a situation (thermostat mode) is my influence appropriate?

Appropriateness is context-sensitive. This is why folks generally try to evaluate their course of action is by asking themselves. "What would Jesus do?" When we look at a situation through the eyes of Jesus it often will become clear how we should be involved. To use the example of choir practice, Jesus will help us to get into the proper key and to sing in tune.

As a closing thought I think Jesus was probably an excellent tenor.