There is a phrase pilots use that has always stuck with me: behind the power curve.
In simple terms, it means the plane has slowed so much that adding power no longer gives you the performance you expect. You can push the throttle forward, but the aircraft responds sluggishly.
You are working harder, burning more fuel, and still losing margin. Stay there too long, and the risk of a stall or worse becomes very real.
I have come to believe life works the same way.
Most people do not crash and burn because of one bad decision.
It happens because momentum slowly bleeds away. Sleep gets short. Discipline gets loose. The quiet habits that once kept us steady start slipping. We are still moving, but barely. We compensate by trying harder, staying busier, forcing outcomes.
And yet, the results keep getting thinner.
That is life behind the power curve.
You feel tired all the time. Everything feels heavy. Small problems feel bigger than they should. Progress becomes grinding effort instead of forward motion.
And if nothing changes, the margin disappears.
Scripture speaks to this long before aviation ever did.
“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
Weariness is the warning light. It tells us momentum is dropping.
God’s design was never frantic striving at low altitude. It was steady obedience, daily renewal, and enough margin to respond when turbulence comes.
Isaiah reminds us where true power comes from.
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles.” Isaiah 40:31
Renewal restores the curve. Rest, discipline, prayer, and truth give lift back to the wings.
If life feels like it is grinding instead of flying, it may not be a motivation problem. It may be a momentum problem.
Slow down enough to rebuild strength. Raise the margin. Trust God with the process.
Because staying behind the power curve is dangerous in the air, and it is no less dangerous in life.
Purpose Driven Strength... 