Quote
C.S. Lewis wrote: “You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and…
Faith · Suffering · Truth
Lewis
Story
The Law of the Pendulum
Common sermon illustration (often told by speakers in the 1980s–90s)
A student once taught a speech class the law of the pendulum: a pendulum can never return to a point higher than the point from which it was released. He demonstrated with a small toy, then asked if everyone believed the law. All hands went up, including the teacher’s. The student then revealed a much larger pendulum—250 pounds of metal hanging from the ceiling. He invited the teacher to sit in a chair with the back of his head against the wall while the heavy weight was pulled up to his nose and released. The teacher refused to stay. He believed the law in theory. He did not trust it with his face. The story still works because most of us know the gap between affirming something with our minds and staking our safety on it.
How you’d preach it
Powerful demonstration of the difference between mental agreement and actual trust. Best when you can pause after the teacher sits and let the tension build before revealing the outcome.
- Faith