What's it like inside?

Tonight we set our clocks ahead, we spring forward, in anticipation of spring and warm, sunny weather and all of the delights that the new season has in store for us. At this time of year we tend to ask, “What’s it like outside?” more frequently than any other season. Spring seems to be the season on unpredictability and the same is definitely true this season in our household.

Our pastor likes to begin each of our small-group gatherings with ‘atmosphere checks’. While it is usually easy to see what the atmosphere is like outside, seeing our inner atmospheres can be a little trickier. The atmosphere we outwardly portray to those around us can sometimes mask the true weather inside. We are asked to give ourselves a rating from 1 – 10: 1 being totally miserable, and 10 being the best you’ve ever been. Most can report a 6 or 7, but occasionally we get a 3 thrown in there. I, for one, like these atmosphere checks because it gives me an opportunity to see whose “weather” I may need to be praying for.

Yesterday, my husband was terminated from his job of 24 years in a corporate buy-out and bankruptcy proceedings. He, along with over 200 other employees, walked out the door on Friday to a beautiful, sunny early spring day, but also to an uncertain future. The weather inside the plant was quiet and calm with an approaching storm in the distance. Now, my husband is a really quiet guy who rarely shares his concerns outwardly with me or anyone else, so I have started having these ‘atmosphere checks’ every few days just to find out what’s going on inside. I’m happy to report that his weather is still calm and breezy.

Unlike so many others who have become part of the unemployed community recently, Tom had planned for our future and the ‘what ifs’ that go along with this crazy thing we call life. After doing an atmosphere check just now, he reports he’s at an 8. This is good news, as it brings my own rating closer to an 8 as well. Others, I fear, are faced with the foreboding feeling of heading into the eye of the hurricane.

Have you checked atmospheres today? When is the last time you checked the atmosphere of your family, friends, or spouse? Perhaps with the springing ahead and the dawn of a new season, we can make the time to check in on the atmospheres of those we love. Can you calm the storm for a friend, dance in the rain of celebration, or clear the fog away for someone in need?

Today, make the time to ask, “What’s it like inside today?”