CH 2 Newton's Cradle

Bob Proctor, of the Xoces Inc. and now of the 3% Club, introduced me to Newton’s Cradle in 1975. This strange gadget is a frame with five steel balls hanging by what appears to be fishing line. The cradle is used to illustrate cause and effect. When you pull and drop one ball, one ball is pushed away. Take two balls and drop them and out comes guess what? TWO BALLS! The first time Proctor demonstrated the moving of four balls I was sure all five would do the other way at impact. Surprise, only four moved.

Later, as I thought more about the cradle I realized it illustrated that you only get out of something what you put into it. Drop four balls; you get four not five. You never get five of something you only put four into. When I’ve discussed the principle with business students, I’ve mentioned three levels of application. First, there is the law of cause and effect. That is, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. That’s the scientific application. Second, the law of sowing and reaping is a spiritual application. Paul penned the following words in Galatians 6:7-9:

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked:
for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;
but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

The third application is the colloquial, or everyday usage. That is, what goes around comes around. However we treat people, we will be treated the same way. Sometimes we lose track of this truth because it doesn’t happen this week. Businesses use a short-term solution and then suffer long-range consequences. Salesmen shortcut to have a sale this week, but poor practice comes back as a penalty. None of us are immune from the pressures of the quick fix. We live in such a microwave society that wants it all. It presses us to the easy response. Success in each area of life requires a step back and often a slowing down. When we truly understand the lesson of Newton’s Cradle we can resist the pressure that would move us to quick decisions and mistakes that take valuable time to correct. On a day-to-day basis it is a great joy to know that God is leading the way to our being the kind of servant He wants. We need to rest in the promise of our sure reward in direct proportion to our faithfulness.