A couple of pastor friends pose an insightful question to Christians who worry about the culture: Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? In other words, are you someone who measures the temperature around you or sets it? The point is that while many people are discerning about the times, far fewer are actually affecting them. And it really does no good to complain or obsess about the spiritual environment without actually doing something to shape it.
We aren’t called to be passive observers of the world. We are called to be influencers of it. There are plenty of ways to do that, almost none of them easy. But with some resolve, a good bit of prayer, and heavy doses of wisdom, we can.
When the environment within you is different than the environment around you, one of them will be compelled to adapt. Resolve to be who you were created to be, and let that influence the world around you.
