Not Done Yet
The “X” in the Acura NSX stands for “Xperimental.” In the beginning, it brought variable cam timing technology (VTEC) from the racetrack to the road. Its reliability, drivability, and accessibility challenged the exotics to become less temperamental. Its suspension components inspired the Honda S2000’s suspension. The experimentation was paying off.
The NSX got various power bumps in 1998 and 2001, and a facelift in 2003. Production ceased in 2005, yet the promise of further experimentation lived on in a 2005 concept that promised 350 horsepower – the experiment being the continued commoditization of power for the masses. At the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, the NSX disguised itself as Acura’s Advanced Sports Car, a Lexus LF-A competitor, right down to its front-engined V10 (that never materialized). A new generation debuted in 2017, with even newer experimental technology: a twin-turbo V6 with an electrified front axle delivering a combined 573 horsepower. With forced induction like a 911 Turbo, torque vectoring like a Nissan GTR, hybrid power like a BMW i8, and a price tag like an Audi R8, it was somehow less of an achievement than any of these. Even with continuous updates and class wins in international racing, the NSX has been a slow seller. Its days are numbered.
Yet as long as Acura has more experimenting to do, the NSX will continue to evolve – and survive.
In the middle of Jesus’ ministry, his disciples feared seeing his ministry cut short by powerful forces. They saw how important the continuation of his work was, yet they lacked Jesus’ view: that he wouldn’t be stopped by anything until his work was completed. Even the Pharisees predicted some premature end to his ministry due to legal pressure:
“At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.’ He replied ‘Go tell that fox, “I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.”’” (Luke 13:31-32)
The craftiness of Herod, the jealousy of the Pharisees, and the fear of the disciples were no match for the will of God, who determined the exact purpose – and length – of Jesus’ earthly life. Until that day, Jesus couldn’t concern himself with increasing pressure around him.
Jesus’ time wasn’t up, and neither is yours. Consider the powerful forces in life, and how other Christ-followers have refused to let them win:
Silence. Simeon, a devout man in Jerusalem, was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” (Luke 2:25) He waited through years of silence, without any obvious signs of God’s movement. Yet God told him Jesus would see him during his lifetime, and Simeon believed. Only after he saw Jesus, as an eight-year-old baby, did he declare his life complete.
Injustice. The Parable of the Persistent Widow tells of an oppressed woman whose only hope for relief is a “judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.” (Luke 18:2) Yet her fierce persistence motivated him to finally act in her life, and it is this faithful persistence that Jesus says is essential for battling powerful pressure in our lives.
Doubt and disbelief. At the beginning of his ministry, the 19th-century preacher and author George Mattheson suddenly found himself feeling a complete lack of faith: “After being ordained, I believed nothing. Neither God nor immortality.” His superiors urged him to remain in the ministry and fight the doubt and disbelief rather than give in and give up. Far from being done with him, God worked through this experience to encourage other believers who face the same battle. Mattheson later said devotions should “combine the antagonistic qualities of the insight of the thinker and the fervor of the worshiper.” His devotions, along with all his most famous works, came after that spiritual void, which turned out to be the beginning, not the end.
Pressure for more performance didn’t turn the NSX into a 350-horsepower version of itself in 2005. The wonderfully intricate LF-A didn’t change it into a luxury grand tourer in 2008. No Cayman GT4 pressured Acura to build a lightweight, analog racer for the 21st century. It fulfilled its mission for experimentation according to the will of Honda, and will continue to do so. So, it continues to serve one more purpose: to teach us about the enduring will of God, and encourage us to live like we believe in it.
