Leave It To Newton

I Corinthians 9:24 -- "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win."

image: arcticnomad.com

It was in front of me on the old overhead projector in grainy black and white - Newton's first law of motion: An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Mr. Kiehlbauch was at the head of the class, dressed in 18th century garb, donning a goofy top-hat. In his right hand he kept tossing a bright red apple up into the air and would lean forward to catch it behind his back. I give him an A for effort. He had some pretty entertaining ways to keep Science interesting. But I confess, it was a struggle to keep my eyes open. Just in from lunch on a 104 degree day in the tropics with the beautiful hum of the air conditioner lolling me into blissful comfort, I admit it: eventually - my head fell to my desk while I pretended to keep notes in my lap.

To this day, I don't know how I managed to pass that class in order to graduate. I'll never forget Mr. Kielbauch, though - and his favorite person of historical interest - Isaac Newton.

It's interesting to me, that Isaac Newton decided to observe the world around him and was somehow the first person to officially write it all down. Obviously gravity worked long before he came along - as did energy - but dear 'ole Isaac put it all down on paper and shared it with everyone. He wasn't really providing NEW information - so much as he was providing a way for us to understand and appreciate it. 

Long before Newton's proverbial apple hit him on the head, Paul was doing the same thing. He was taking information and presenting it to us in a way in which we could understand and appreciate. 

Somehow in my brain this morning - Sir Isaac Newton reached out to shake Paul's hand as they met eye to eye - and there was Mr. Kiehlbauch with a big grin on his face knowing that now - umpteen years after his lesson in Science class - I finally get it.

We are in motion, dear friends. Jesus put us into motion when we accepted his mercy and grace. And for most of us most of the time - we can keep right on going with the same energy and speed we had when we first became believers. There are, however, moments when our energy gets tripped up by unbalanced forces. 

During those moments when we struggle to keep pace and put one foot in front of the other, Paul is there on the sidelines with a nice cold Gatorade. 

Everybody is running, Paul reminds us. There is, however, only ONE prize. We've got to run to win. Doing half the job is NOT getting the job done. 

When we find ourselves buffeted by unbalanced forces, it's time for us to redouble our efforts.  Push through the pain in our muscles and the ache in our bones. Cling to the promises in God's Word and stretch beyond ourselves. It is NOT a moment to fall with our heads to our desk and our notes in our laps. It's' time for us to dig in our heels and press forward.

After all, we are not the only ones pushing toward the finish line.