For Every Action There is a Reaction: Newton’s LawThis is what my seven year old told me today and here is how it unfolded.
This weekend we went and visited Steve and Alina for Memorial Day vacation. Steve just published a book called
Your Superpowers. It is aimed toward the youth to reveal the great powers that already exist within themselves and how to unleash them.
Steve read the first chapter with my children and I am amazed how my oldest son, Adam, has taken it to heart. Just knowing these principles has changed his behavior.
For example, this morning Adam needed to wake up at 6:00 in order to get ready for his cello lesson at 6:45am. He was tired because we had driven home from Idaho last night. Instead of complaining and continuing to sleep in, he got right out of bed, got dressed and did all the things he needed to do before it was time to leave. I did not have to remind him. (Wow!) Since he had been so efficient of accomplishing his morning tasks he had some extra time. Happily, he hopped into my bed, snuggled next to his baby brother, and rested until everyone else was ready. It was awesome! No reminders. No nagging! It all happened because he was using his first superpower . . . his brain.
Well the use of that super power brain continued to manifest its power as he had his cello lesson.
His teacher would ask, “What do you think appassionato means? “
Instead of giving up because he didn’t know or just blurting out the first thing that came to mind Adam stopped and studied the word on the page. “Passionate,” he said.
This continued time and again as the lesson progressed. It was amazing! Questions like “What is the key of this piece” and “How many Suites did Bach write for his Unaccompanied Cello Suites?” became only a matter of thought. It was not until halfway through the lesson that I realized what was happening. Adam was tapping into the superpower he had read about with Uncle Steve.
After the lesson I told Adam that I could see his superpowers coming out! He was kind of surprised.
“What do you mean?” he responded with some excitement in his voice. I then related everything I had noticed that morning. Then a discussion unfolded about the power of choice. It was one of the best conversations I have ever had with my seven and six year old.
These are the principles that came to mind as we discussed on the car ride to school:
1. For every action there is a reaction: There is no emotional tie to this. It just simply is. It is a law that exists. (Thanks Newton) So if you are frustrated with something, instead of getting all emotional about it, look at it from the law perspective.
I began to relate this law to my own thinking.
Example: My house is messy because it is the affect of any or all of the following
a) It is not well organized b)Things are not picked up.
How easy is that? Instead of focusing on the fear that I do not have enough time to clean my house or that I have several young children and it is difficult to keep up, I realize that is simply a cause and effect. I have the choice to either fix it or let it be.
Wow! This is such a freeing way to look at everything in my life.
2. We are Free to Choose:In the scriptures we learn that we can “cheer up our hearts” because we are free to choose. What a glorious thing. We get to use our first superpower, our brain, to bring this joy into our lives (and others). Choice is powerful, so powerful that there was an entire war in heaven about it.
The Adversary wants to diminish our superpowers, so we cannot use them. Taking away choice, takes away our superpower. Taking away our superpowers takes away our ability to become greater and more like God. No wonder the Adversary wanted to take away choice, so he would have supremacy over us, not letting us realize and exercise the great powers that are god- given.
We talked about addictions that can take away our superpowers such as drugs, pornography and even computer games. (Can you believe talking to your six and seven year old about these things in such a natural way?) My children added their comments as they made connections to these truths.
“That is why we can only play one hour of computer games a day.” Adam commented, making the connection of why we have such rules.
We talked about that even having an obsession of good things can throw us off course. We need balance in our lives. “Some work and some play” Adam piped in.
We reached the school. I watched as Adam grasped some change from our car in his hand. The money was going to be used for the school fundraiser, helping to buy books and supplies for a sister school in Africa. What a great experience this car ride had provided. (It had been the “vehicle” to discuss superpowers.)
Adam hopped out of the car and headed toward the school. He walked a little taller that day, knowing that great powers lie within.
