LIttle Things Matter

The trebuchet arm was clicked back into place with the sling cradling the projectile.  The maiden launch of our finally completed Science Olympiad trebuchet was seconds from countdown. Even the dogs stood nearby watching, their ever-present barking momentarily silenced. The team donned the mandatory protective safety goggles.
Asherel slipped the counterweight  onto its hook. It swayed- its potential energy eagerly waiting to become kinetic. (Takes you back to those old physical science classrooms, doesn't it?)

"3-2-1, Fire!"

The trebuchet flinging arm snapped forward, pulling the sling along its track. The sling sliced through the air, and the free end slipped correctly off its nail to release the projectile. The projectile sailed over the dogs' heads and into the back yard..... backwards. The trebuchet had flung the projectile behind it.

The team laughed.
"Don't video tape it until it throws it forward," requested Josh.

All this meant was that the angle of sling release needed adjustment and eventually our sling was consistently flinging 20-30 feet forwards. This is not far enough, not by a long shot (Haha, pun intended....), but it is in the right direction at least. Now we have to analyze what is eating up our kinetic energy. Something is. That big arm should be tossing about three times that far.

This is a common thread of life in general- how to transform potential into action? How to eek out every last drop of potential to get the absolute best action possible. It is so easy for the potential energy to leak into areas we don't want it to go. The gaps it leaks through are manifold- worry, anger, sin, frivolous pursuits, mind numbing diversions, too many of even the good diversions .....
pretty soon all our potential energy is dried up, the river that started off is just a trickle, and the result is action that is weak and ineffectual.

So what is the key to optimizing all that potential?

In our trebuchet, we have to figure out how to channel all the energy of the power source into the desired action- maximum fling. What is interesting is that if we focus only on the arm, the one section attached to the power source, we may never find the energy-sucker. Energy might be leaking out of an unbalanced base, or a loose screw, or a sticky wheel.....The little things matter. We like to think that if we get the big things right and stay connected to our source of power, all will work out. And we will be flinging in the right direction, but we won't be all we could be until we take care to get the little things right.

Kindness when we don't feel kind, gentleness when we feel like raging, obedience when we know our way is best but our parents urge us otherwise, compassion when we look on the weak, the weary, the complaining, the angry, the hurting and the fallen, forgiveness when that is the last thing we want to do..... The little things matter.

Zechariah 4:10

 ¹⁰ “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone