Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Physicists know this to be true, as do parents, where there is more than one child in the household. Newton’s law is important for the physical sciences, but this principle is much less helpful in interpersonal relations. Imagine how counterproductive it would be if every time a person offered to help someone else, the recipient would run the other way or question the motives of the would-be Good Samaritan.
I recently read that, in the computing world, a company was developing a “contradiction search engine.” This product is designed so that whatever statement you input as data, the Internet will be searched to find examples that will contradict it. Tell the computer that the sky is blue, that it will be sunny today, or that the President is a Christian, and it will find responses that insist just the opposite. It is a feature that appears to be aimed at political commentators and curmudgeons of all persuasions.
The nature of public media today leads us to distrust much of what we read, or at least to question that we are hearing a full, unbiased account of events. The old battle cry of a previous generation–“Question Authority”–has now been expanded to insist that “There is No Authority.” In the days of the apostle Paul, people used to visit the altars and temples of numerous gods, offering sacrifices and hedging their bets by currying favor with a variety of deities. Now people show a tendency to shy away from altars, temples, synagogues and churches of all types, living lives of functional atheism or at least non-engaged spirituality.
Is there a way to counter the spiritual version of Newton’s Third Law of Motion? How do we live lives of Christian witness and positive action without provoking negative, opposite reactions that cause people to avoid church altogether? The surprising answer is that Newton’s Third Law seldom applies when a life of faith is led with humility, integrity and sincerity.
Everyone’s definition of happiness still centers around the same basic goals of peace, health, being in loving relationships, and having a sense of purpose for one’s life. A life in relationship to God, grounded on the grace and hope made real in Jesus Christ, is a life that seeks what is peaceful, life-sustaining, and loving. And despite the “ups” and “downs” that mark everyone’s life journey, an Easterfaith that looks toward a promised horizon promised by God will be a faithful life that has a strong sense of purpose. Where that is present in your life, others will take note–and if they are wise, they will ask you to share your secret. Or they will follow your example as you mention where you attend church or comment that you will be holding them in prayer.
Long ago, Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, “Come, follow me.” He didn’t begin with handing out a study guide or doing an intake exam. It was in the act of following that the fishermen became disciples. Walk your daily life in such a way that others can follow you, and in that act of following, find their way to faith, to a Christian community, and to a life of hope. Start this month. Make the season of Thanksgiving into a spirit season of “Thanksliving.” For something higher than Newton’s Third Law is active in our world. Thanks be to God!