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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Richard Oppong Boateng, a Young Evangelism Officer at Cliff College, Derbyshire

Good Morning.

It’s so easy to go with the flow, to follow what everyone else is saying. Question: how do you respond when an inappropriate joke or story is told? The temptation to laugh or nod along encouragingly can be almost second nature, as you don’t want to be the person that seems to be killing the vibe. But deep down inside of us, there is a discomfort, an uneasiness within. I remember finding myself in this situation in a previous job. I listened to a colleague while they told their story that I found rather inappropriate. As they told their story, I sat silently, but felt rather uncomfortable. Have you ever been in this situation?

I once was challenged, not to be thermometer but a thermostat. A thermometer reads and gauges the temperature of the room; however, it has no capacity to change the temperature. A thermostat on the other hand, can control the temperature of a room. I think that we all have the capability of being a thermostat in the way we show kindness to our family, friends & work colleagues. I am always personally challenged by the words of Jesus where He says ‘Let your light shine, so that people may see it and give glory to your Father in heaven.’ It’s my prayer that my actions & words would help to show love and compassion to those around me.

God, thank you for the people that we get to encounter every day. Help us to be thermostats and not thermometers. Enable us to be a blessing to our family, friends, work colleagues and community.

Amen.