Trajectory.

Over Christmas I was putting together a little car for my 2 year old. As I followed my way through the included directions I found myself getting frustrated with the pictures of nuts and bolts that I knew were different but all looked the same on the piece of paper they provided, and regardless of which way I turned the directions I couldn’t figure out how to put the axle on right.

Needless to say I began going with my intuition of where things should go, and about 45 minutes into the project I was finished.

One minor problem. The steering wheel didn’t turn.  No big deal I thought to myself. He’s only 2. He wont even turn it anyway.

Reasonableness finally set in and I took the whole car apart and began again. The right way, and Christmas morning that steering wheel turned.

This lesson in frustration reminded me of the concept of trajectory.

tra·jec·to·ry

trəˈjektərē/

noun

noun: trajectory; plural noun: trajectories

1.

the path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces.

“the missile’s trajectory was preset”

While my life is not a projectile object (typically) I believe the concept of trajectory is ultra important.

I think we all should look at the path we are currently traveling on and consider what this path will produce over time. Where will this path end up if you continue on it.

In a lighthearted way that car I was putting together would have been rendered useless if I never fixed it and my 2 year old was still trying to turn the (non-working) steering wheel at 3 or 4 years old.

In a more serious way I consider things like:

Your Health:

 

I have had high blood pressure my entire life. When I discussed this with my doctor a few years ago he told me I should consider medicine to keep it low. I asked him what would happen if I never took medicine. He said I would be fine for 20 or so years, but may have problems in my 50’s.

Trajectory.

A problem not dealt with over time creates a big problem. The gap continues to widen over years.

So what about other issues.

 

Many people are talking about weight-loss in the new year. I am not opining either way, but I beg you to consider what if you didn’t change anything about your eating or excersise? What would your life look like in 5 years? 10? 20?

 

What trajectory is your health on?

Your Faith:

I consider the my relationship with Jesus. A relationship is neither built nor lost over night. So I consider the time I am spending with the Lord every day and wonder what will my relationship with God look like in a few years if I continue having (or not having) daily time in the Bible and worship?

Or maybe you’ve never considered the concept of faith. I challenge you to consider  your current beliefs and thoughts on eternity, and what trajectory you are on. I challenge you to consider the fact that many die without having the opportunity to thoughtfully consider and seek out answers to their questions about eternity…a very dangerous trajectory. Check out this video on God’s love for YOU.

What trajectory is your  faith on?

Your family:

I love Andy Stanly’s sermons series “Choosing to Cheat” and his introduction to the concept of daily giving your spouse a rock to hold till you get home. Sure one day you work late, or have a difficult season of business, but what type of trajectory are you on? In the sermon eventually his wife drops the rock after being told time and time again to keep holding it more and more because she just can’t hold it any longer.

The fallout is bad and hard to fix.

But it didn’t start overnight. It was on a crash course, a trajectory, that was bound to fall apart.

Your Finances:

I look at spending. Is our current lifesyle, spending habits, views on money sustainable? What type of trajectory is that on? Is it one that ends with good stewardship and faithful giving or one that ends in financial hardship and ruin?

Again, it is about daily choices. Trajectory.

Challenge:

My challenge to you and to myself is to look at the trajectory of your life, choices, activities and see where they will put you in 5, 10, 20 years. What type of trajectory am I on if nothing changes?

The beautiful thing about trajectory is that the slightest thing can change its course. A little wind can cause something in flight to end up thousands of miles from the course it was headed to over time. A small nudge today can change the course of something in the future.

Consider this:

• Faith: What if I spent 10 minutes reading the Bible every day?
• Health: What if I cut out one coke a week?
• Family: What if I spent 15 minutes without tv or phones and talked to my kids?
• Finances: What if I saved one dollar a day?

Here’s what those small changes can do to a trajectory:

• Faith: 10 minutes a day and you will read the whole Bible in a year.
• Health: Cut out one coke per day and loose 10 lbs in one year.
• Family: 15 minutes a day would mean you got 4 extra days with your kids (without taking vacation)
• Finances: 1 dollar per day is 14,000 saved in 20 years.

My point is not that this is the plan you should take, or that this is the way to know God or loose weight. The point is that small changes over time make big differences.

So where are you headed? What’s your trajectory?