The Poetry Of Motion

DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM

The stream seemed to bubble serenely moments earlier, but facing the prospect of my backpack and I greeting its icy water, it swelled into a taunting torrent. Eyeing three stepping stones, smooth but dry above my splashing contender, I made an instinctive leap, not thinking too much. Ricocheting my way to safety, I continued a comfortable hike.

Granted, no reality TV program has covered my occasional backcountry outings, but if my little stream crossing were captured on video and replayed in slow motion (perhaps with a dramatic soundtrack), it would’ve looked, dare I say, impossibly fantastic. That’s because it would have been impossible to cross slowly. The fact is, given the need to absorb my weight, and transfer energy into three different directions with my limited tendons, it would also have been impossible to do it much faster.

I find it remarkable what motion can accomplish. Movement might be thought of as a continuum of perplexing postures, strung together by an invisible line of purpose. Perhaps this is why a still image of a hummingbird in flight evokes at least as much wonder as watching it dart about in real time. Or why we are enamored with the split-second reaction an athlete concocts to make the play. We see the slow-motion and shriek “impossible!” and, watching it at that speed, our claim is justified.

We all seek equilibrium and desire balance. We say that things are “out of sorts,” or that we’re having an “off day.” So we panic, and think too much. Perhaps we stop cold, or move about frantically, and soon find ourselves teetering once again. We want things to move smoothly, “like riding a bike,” yet forget that bike-riding breakthroughs came when we confidently allowed ourselves to get some speed. Equilibrium must come at the speed of life. God has given us the Sun to govern the day and the Moon to govern the night. We need not desire the “luxury” of making time stand still when we have the luxury of time itself. To “be still and know” that He is God is not necessarily to stop; rather, raphah in Psalm 46:10 carries the meaning of letting go, or better yet, relaxing. Ever noticed how easily a skilled musician plays, athlete runs, dancer leaps, or craftsman fashions? It’s not so much that it is easy, but rather poetic: relaxed, rhythmic, and with purpose.

Though their subjects are not as imaginative as musicians or dancers, scientists observe this as dynamic equilibrium in the commonplace. Physicists in particular speak of the balance of forces in matter, relentlessly in motion; chemists speak of reactions proceeding rapidly, yet reaching a steady state between reactants and products, still reacting; biologists speak of such equilibrium in our nervous system, or in the production (mitosis) balanced with the purposeful death (apoptosis) of cells. Furthermore, dynamic equilibrium is studied by economists, ecologists, and sociologists. The pressing need to understand balance amidst motion arises because everything moves.

Movement is emphasized in the Creation: “Let birds (literally owph, or flying creatures), fly above the earth…God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves…and everything that creeps on the earth….” (Genesis 1:20,21,25) In Acts 17:28 Paul referred to God’s work by quoting an Athenian poet “…in Him we live and move and have our being.” We are to run the race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Galatians 2:2, Philippians 2:16, 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Hebrews 12:1). We are to walk: in the light (John 8:12, 12:35, Ephesians 5:8, 1 John 1:7, Revelation 21:24), in faith (Romans 4:12, 2 Corinthians 5:7), in newness of life (Romans 6:4), according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4, Galatians 5:16, 25), in love (Ephesians 5:2), in truth (3 John 1:3-4), with wisdom and purpose (Ephesians 5:15, Philippians 3:16-17, Colossians 4:5, 1 Thessalonians 2:12), and in obedience (Romans 13:13, 1 Corinthians 7:17, Ephesians 2:10, 4:1, Colossians 1:10, 2:6, 1 John 2:6, 2 John 1:6).

God calls us poetry (poiema) in Ephesians 2:10, and yet we are not so much words on a page, but the recitation itself—God’s performance. Philippians 1:9 refers to believers as an initiated work (ergon), or endeavor, that He is completing, or performing (epitelio). We may want a snapshot, status, or statue that freezes a moment in time; we may be tempted to look back and become an encrusted pillar. Such ways are static—stasis—when in reality we have been created dynamically, with the power—dunamis—of motion. Motion is to be beautiful; move in the Spirit! Dance across your stepping stones confidently; glance back but for a moment, and travel on.

© 2009 Chard Berndt
All Scriptures NKJV.

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  Chard Berndt contributes a monthly essay, investigating the world and our Christian walk in it. Consider his musings and share your comments. Chard teaches high school sciences at Lighthouse Christian School and has earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (University of Colorado) and an M.S. in Science Education (Institute for Creation Research).