Center of Mass
Earlier this week wrote a post, “A New Approach,” that you can read about it here. Today I want to take that same topic and concept but in another direction, so here we go.
In the 1960s, Dick Fosbury changed the sport of high jumping as we know it. A somewhat unsuccessful athlete who could not compete with the stronger, more capable sportsmen opted for a new approach. Fosbury created a new technique and way of high jumping - and it stunned his coaches, other athletes and eventually the world. What was once an at-best average athlete became an Olympic world record holder just a few years later. How? This new technique moved the center of mass. Watch this quick video before reading further.
Move the “Center of Mass”
Everything changed for the high jump when the simple understanding of physics was leveraged. When Dick Fosbury used the Fosbury Flop, the center of mass was moved outside of his body. This was critical because when the center of mass was moved outside of his body, with the same amount of energy, the jumper went higher. The bar was raised.
Wow! Such a perfect illustration of how Christ works in and through us all. Many people tend to keep the “center of mass” inside of them and draw the “masses” to themselves. Self-confident. Self-made. Self-driven. Etc, etc. Different contexts highlight this in various ways. For me, it is recognizing and being self-aware that the center of mass needs to live outside of myself. Recognizing that we can do more through Christ, and operate in His power, not our own. Living for Him with a selfless heart, with a God-confidence giving Him all the glory and credit will result in God working and blessing in ways we could never imagine.
You see, just like the discovery with the Fosbury Flop, Dick Fosbury needed to go backward to make a great leap forward. In our society today, to take the leap that is necessary to fully glorify Christ, we must move our center of mass outside ourselves and take, what appears as, a great leap backward. The Gospel of John chapter 3 sums it all up in a powerful statement:
“He must become greater; I must become less.” - John 3:30
The Center of Mass - where is yours?
“When God’s glory is manifested in your life, others will look at you and say, “Wow, what a great God you serve.”