To Fan Or Not to Fan

Why is this even a debate? Our hearts are wicked, that’s why. As a person that came to faith as an adult who has been trying to live a “Christian life” since then, as well as leading small groups of people trying to live that same way, I want to share what it’s like when the rubber meets the road. Let me first lay the foundation for you.

It’s the first week in January and everyone is back in my spin class trying to work off all the carb bingeing from the past two months.  New year, new you and all that. The room is full and every bike is taken including mine.  We are laughing and sweating and crying when all of a sudden, I see a fight break out–in class, with full grown adults. I personally know them both and have had them in my classes off and on for years so while I’m not completely surprised it was shocking to many.  If you’re wondering what they could be fighting about you may be in the minority because, honestly, don’t you get frustrated pretty regularly?  You might not yell at another human being because it’s tacky but maybe you gossip about it to someone afterwards.  Maybe you’re in the car and you get angry when someone is driving too fast or too slowly. I think we have all been there in some way or another.

In this scenario, we can do a couple of things.  Let’s ponder to see who has the better argument. They were fighting about whether or not to turn the fans on in the class and what way they should be facing.  If you are a “fan on” kind of person, you might think it’s better to circulate air to keep germs from stagnating or maybe you get overheated and sick when it’s too warm. “Fan off” people might realize that you can get a better cardio workout when the body is warm. Either way you can see that there really is no right or wrong answer. Second option could be avoiding the class completely, but this seems unreasonable. Christ calls Christians to be around people whether we are annoyed by them or not.

Luckily for us, Paul gives us a great example of how we can respond in these situations when he writes the letter to the Phillipians. He tells them to do as Christ did.  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:3-5, NASB). Spin classes certainly didn’t exist in Jesus’ time so how can I translate the meaning of Paul’s words into my own personal scenario? I think Paul is implying that putting others first should permeate our lives in all things–the great and the small; the believer first and the unbeliever as well; in our hearts as well as our actions. Personally, a hot workout is my preference.  I am almost always cold and have even been known to wear a jacket in the summer.  No air conditioning for me, thank you very much. So, when my feet are put to the fire and this cold air is blowing on me and making me irritated not only in my own heart, but with people I like, what do I do?  The answer is in my heart AND my actions.  The order is your choice and may vary depending on the situation.

Heart change looks like this: before I go to class, I remind myself that I like these people. I have joy when I spend time with them and I feel good physically and emotionally when I do this class. I then remind myself that I may like the heat but that’s not true of everyone because by God’s blessing we are all made with different preferences and He has called us to work in unity even through those. Although I prefer tank tops to long sleeves, is that a hill Jesus wants me to die on? On top of that, I read about how Jesus gave up Himself constantly. In his gospel, Matthew writes about Jesus wanting to go be by Himself when His cousin, John, was beheaded; but He had compassion on the people that followed Him. He chose their welfare over His own. This all will lead my heart to be pointed in the proper direction so my actions can follow.

Action change might look like this: I’ll dress in a way that keeps me warm. I will try to sit in a seat that isn’t in front of the fan but if I can’t, I won’t get angry at the person that is sitting there. I will walk out of class without a complaint on my tongue but only speaking words of gratitude for the ability to be there at all. I will not tell anyone how I gave up my rights but hold it close, knowing that I could only do it with the power of the Holy Spirit.

The world tells us we should fight for our rights. But Jesus gave up all His and came down to save us. Then He asks us to see His example and follow Him. Start daily with the little things and see how He trusts you with the big ones.