Hmm… where’s he going with this? Well, I’m glad you asked…

Being hot-blooded mammals that we are, we have the distinct privilege of being able to regulate our body temperature. We can venture off into hot or cold climates, and to a remarkable degree, our bodies maintain a fairly stable temperature.

Cold-blooded animals, on the other hand, cannot. Their metabolism, activity and behavior is controlled by their environment. There is no self-regulating thermostat in the cold-blooded creatures.

So, what do I mean by my statement that “your body may be hot-blooded, but your soul isn’t?”

Your soul is largely thought to be your mind, will, and emotions – or your psyche.

Like a cold-blooded animal, your thoughts and emotions are quite volatile and highly influenced by your environment.

That is, if you are surrounding yourself with positive influences – friends, music, movies, etc. – then your soul will ‘adapt’ to that environment. You will become more like the positive influences that you surround yourself with.

Conversely, if you immerse yourself in a negative environment, you will acclimate to the negative. It will start to become normal to you and you will also start to demonstrate those negative qualities.

This transition can sometimes be imperceptible to ourselves – and might only be seen by others who are watching. We might think that we’re acting and thinking the same way we always have. But others around us might say, “hey, you’ve really changed.”

Chances are, they are right.

So, be extra vigilant about the environment that you allow yourself into. Your behavior is directly affected by it.

Or, as the Bible puts it:

Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 4:23