Kinetic energy is equal to the product of the increase of mass caused by motion times the square of the speed of light. It is the energy that results from motion.
Potential energy is quite different. It's the energy of a body based on its position.
As I sit in a stiff church pew on Sunday, I listen to our pastor speak of the church's needs; our world's needs. I wonder how many of us are sitting there, full of potential energy? We are blessed with His light, yet choose to sit still in a lofty position. We are blessed by circumstance. We are blessed with wealth, and health, and family. Yet we store away our potential.
There are others who will do the work. They are kinetic. They will rub themselves against an abrasive world and catch fire. They will combust and His light will pour out of them. Their energy is not based on a position or a circumstance. It is their adversities, not their potential, humbly stored away. Their energy is a result of their motion.
At night, as I stand in the doorway of my childrens' rooms I recite this simple prayer. "Father, please give them vision so that they may see the needs of your people. Give them strength so that they may finish the path you have laid before them and not grow weary. Give them courage so that they might not sway. Fill them with your spirit, so that they might love."
And I ask that He might give me the guidance to raise kinetic children. Ones who will step out and step up to the challenges of this world. Ones who will willingly go where He leads and work for His kingdom. Whose energy will be set in motion to resonate His love. And, I ask for the courage to jump into the fire and burst with His light.
