Life lessons from lifeless stuff
Near Swakopmund, Namibia, a 14ton steam tractor got stuck in the desert in 1897, and stood there for a century before taken into a museum. Locals call it the Martin Luther tractor, a reference to Luther’s famous words in 1521: “Here I stand, I can do no other.”
Because the weight of steam-propelled machines made them sink into ground, the idea of putting them on steel rails, resting on transverse sleepers, evolved.
Train wheels have special features for specific reasons. To keep train wheels on the rails, flanged wheel rims are used. As the train moves, these flanges touch the rails often; therefore, they are automatically lubricated at certain points to limit wear on wheels and rails.
Likewise, our consciences have to be “lubricated” regularly in our silent time to keep us on track with God’s word.
The surface of the wheel that runs on the rail is slightly cone-shaped to allow smoother rolling action around bends. Pairs of train wheels are connected with a thick solid axle; so, they run at the same speed. At bends, however, the outer wheel have a longer distance to go than the inner wheel. Centrifugal forces make the outer wheel run on its high side, and the inner wheel on its low side, thus adapting the travel distance of each wheel.
We, too, must adapt to circumstances to prevent unnecessary stress. Like the train wheel, we have built-in capabilities to help us with that, such as perception, faith and common sense.
Railroad switches make trains change tracks. The engineer does not do that but a shunter outside the train. Many changes in life are made for us by events, controlled by a Higher Hand, we believe.
The former clickety-clack noise of train wheels running over rail joints has been eliminated in many countries by continuous welding and diagonally tapered joints. To prevent the kilometerlong rails from buckling in summer, they are heated when installed, and fastened by spikes that allow for expansion and contraction.
We do not have to put up with irritating flaws; there is often room for improvement. As technology develops over time, new solutions for old problems arise. We went from handwriting to mechanical and electrical typewriters, and from there to word-processors. If we now want to improve a document, we do not have to retype the whole thing. We can change, insert and shift text as we like. Great!
Underground passenger trains are still popular in large cities, like London and Paris. In Asia, urban trains are fully packed, some sitting on the roof of coaches.
Although planes are best for long distance travelling, passenger and freight trains will continue to carry large and heavy loads. May we be as faithful and reliable.