One of my favorite toys on the playground as a kid was the seesaw. Two children, about the same weight, could have endless fun going up and down, up and down. That is until one of the more agile boys perfected a naughty trick: bailing off the seat when it was near the ground. The other kid came crashing down of course, and it was quite a blow to the “bohonkus.” Thus the allure. Once some other mischievous boys caught on (I was one of them), nobody wanted to teeter-totter anymore.
Frankly, I’m a bit bored by the wall-to-wall, “2020 has been such a strange year!” posts. Duh! Tell me something I don’t know, and, while you’re at it, could you please make it part of a compelling story?🙃
Seriously though, it does feel like something bailed off the seat of this calendar year, causing all of us to drop like rocks, and it’s worth talking about.
Searching for biblical applications also sounds like a good idea. My “bohonkus” hurts!
“We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed.” 2 Corintians 4:8-9 (GNT)
There must have been seesaws in the first century AD, because Paul absolutely nails how it feels after a free fall. It’s a blow to one’s pride and overall sense of well being after a sudden physical impact.
In other words, this &!#$ pandemic!
Remember those little egg-shaped toys that came out in the 70’s called Weebles? They were weighted at the bottom in such a way that gravity always made them stand back up–no matter how hard you flinked them.
“Weebles” by unloveablesteve is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
“Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down.”
Here’s the physics teacher explanation: “Tipping an egg-shaped weeble causes a weight located at the bottom center to be lifted off the ground. Once released, gravity brings the weeble back into an upright position. Essentially, there is only one way in which a weeble can achieve mechanical equilibrium.” Source, Wikipedia.
Mechanical equilibrium. I’d like some more of that, please.
“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps firm. Though he stumbles, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” Psalm 37:23-24 (NIV)
Thank God, all of His children are “weighted” in such a way that, though we may wobble, we don’t fall down!
God’s “gravity” works in the spiritual realm, as well as the physical. Just like He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light (Gen. 1:3), the light of Christ shines in our hearts and keeps standing us upright (2 Corinthians 4:6).
There’s just one caveat: we can’t take credit for any of it.
“Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7 (GNT)
Weebles may not fall down, but they aren’t indestructible. I’m an eyewitness to the fact that they can be crushed by the family station wagon.😳
“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing”
Jesus — John 6:63 (NIV)
One hundred years from now we’ll all be dead, and the surreal events of 2020 reduced to a footnote. Sure, there will still be Chambers on the Road, but the rest of us will be but fading blips on the blogosphere.
Only the eternal is REALLY real.
“For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 (GNT)
Davids Daily Dose 
Comments
28 responses to “Counterbalance”
Correction: biblegateway.com actually calls it the Good News Translation (GNT). I just edited/updated this post to better notate the translations cited. I’m glad you brought this to my attention.
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Sorry, I should have cited the translation. I quote from the NIV 99% of the time, but the scripture verses for this post came from Today’s English Version (TEV), also known as the Good News Bible.
I appreciate your compliment! It’s easy for a life story niche writer like me to run out of analogies. Some of them are better than others, no doubt. ☺️
Thank you for reading and commenting! Blessings.
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David,
This is sort of off-topic, but what version of the Bible did you quote from? I especially liked the way 2 Corinthians 4:8 was given.
Thanks, and BTW: I like how you can take everyday objects and find greater significance in them than meets the eye.
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You’re welcome! Thank you for reading and commenting. It’s amazing how so many childhood memories are shared with others! Finding the biblical applications is also rewarding. Blessings to you!
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Hahaha that’s my Jersey roots my friend, you can take the girl out of NJ but never the NJ out of the girl 😆🙌
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I remember that catchy little tune too: “Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down.” Clearly a successful advertising campaign!!! And a great metaphor for our life in Christ, especially in the hard times. Thanks for sharing this, Dave 🙂
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Thank you, Beth. Your comment made me smile. I’m glad you can relate! I actually couldn’t find bohunkus in the dictionary, but I’d heard it used before as a synonym for backside, so I stuck with it. I’m glad it makes sense. I’m also happy you enjoyed the weebles illustration! I am grateful for your thoughts. Blessings.
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Your post had the ability to bring back wonderful childhood memories of playing on teeter totters with my brothers (yes they dumped me more than once) as well as laugh out loud at the well chosen word “bohonkus.” I remember as a child being fascinated with the weebles that rode in our older siblings’ weeble camper. My younger brother and I tried everything possible, including dropping them out of trees and rolling them down the stairs, to make them “fall down” to no avail. After reading, I grabbed my Bible and jotted “weeble wobble” next to Psalms 37:24 as your analogy is one I want to remember.
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“Absolfrickenlutely.” I love it!
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Absofrickenlutely lol😆 it’s only through God that I am still standing tall. Yes, helping others is my life’s passion because I never want anyone to ever feel as alone as I felt during my darkest hours. I’m embracing my gifts, which is what God wants from us all😊🙏
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Thank you. I’m glad you’ve had such a great year! Your gift for helping others heal has been a big part of this, I bet. It’s definitely been a wobbly experience these past several months. Thank God, He helps us stand back up—no matter what! Blessings.
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What a wonderfully uplifting post David! I too loved the seesaw and can definitely see the correlation to this year’s highs and lows. For me, this has been my most transformational year yet and 100% fueled by the love and power of God. He has strengthened me to do the hardest and the most glorious things this year. It all proves that, yes, indeed, we didn’t fall down and moreover the strength God gives us through our unwavering faith. It’s truly amazing. I always enjoy your perspectives so much my friend, many blessings to you always ❤
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Thank you, Alan!
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What a thoroughly delightful post David. I heard about the Weebles from my parents 🙄…”aye right Alan” I hear you say! That seems an age ago indeed. I love the children’s toys analogy, it works so well. Great job brother.
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Amen, Manette! From what I know about your testimony, you have certainly bounced back and continued on in His power. I appreciate your contribution. Your Dominoes post is still going through my head! Blessings.
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As a child, I played many times on a seesaw (only we called it a teeter-totter) that my dad built and it was passed down over time to his grandchildren. I experienced the bump-on-the-rump from brothers who would jump off when I was up in the air.
Great story, David! I love your analogy with the spiritual account of being a Weeble, “Though he stumbles, he will not fall…” Praise our glorious King! The falling I will do is in worship at HIS feet, then bounce back up and continue on.
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Amen, Betty🙏. Divine encouragement is all around us, we only need to look. God, help me have 👀 for you!
The link to your blog was one way to say thanks for mentioning mine in one of your posts. Your blog is certainly worth reading, and I hope to get you a few more clicks.
Weebles can only be effected by an outside force. 🤗. That’s a great thought, Betty!
I appreciate your thoughts. Blessings.
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Thanks, David, for the shout out. Although, I’m not really sure ChambersontheRoad will be around in 100 years, so y’all better read now! 🙂 Seriously, another wonderful post. A note, the weebles only wobble from an outside force. Just another analogy. Last thought. When this pandemic was getting underway and once again more recently, I noticed simply stunning sunsets. My first thought was “divine encouragement.” When I mentioned it to my sister, she said she had the very same thought. So, you know, it has to be true! Divine encouragement is all around; we just have to look for it – in the sky, in the Bible, in blogs even. Thanks for your post, and enjoy your day!
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Amen, BG. You have revealed another angle/application to my story. Iron truly does sharpen iron! Thank you! Blessings.
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Thank you, Vince!
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Wonderful thought.
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This post is like a reality check. It speaks to me of faith as well as my frailty. Life has it’s bullies but we who are strong bounce back. As a weeble, I would rather bounce off the side of a car off balance and still stand. I would rather bow to it’s superiority than be crushed. It’s like I’d rather fall on the rock than the rock fall on me and crush me. One day I did when I trusted Yeshua as my Savior. He loved me no matter how much I weebled and wobbled in life. Now, I don’t have to face judgment as a broken vessel.
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Thanks, David. 🤗
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You’re welcome, Sally. Blessings to you and your little community by the sea.
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Great post, David, thanks.
I like the analogy of the Weebles. 🤗
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Thank you for reading and commenting, pastor Pete! Sadly, all my weebles are lost. I’m sure I could find some on the internet, though. Blessings.
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Oh our boys loved those weebles! I think I still have a couple somewhere. One morning I woke up and stumbled to the cabinet looking for my breakfast cereal. As I opened the door I had to laugh because there I was greeted by 15-20 of those guys smiling out at me from the tops of the boxes and canned goods! Yup nice post Dave. Thank you for taking the time to share in your own creative way the ups and downs we are all going through.
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Only the eternal is really, real!! Yes!
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