The Catalyst
The Catalyst
One of the things that really distinguishes humans as being human, is the lengths at which they go to be prepared and to plan for things. We all like being in control, worrying and planning are a natural part of preparing for control in the future. Life doesn’t always go along nicely with our plans; in fact, it rarely does. Sometimes, there are things that happen, or people we meet that act as catalysts in changing us and our plans.
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Catalysts are talked about primarily in terms of chemistry, and were my favorite part of chemistry, perhaps because of the excitement of something totally different coming from something so ordinary – the rest bored me so dreadfully that I never pursued it further. A catalyst is an interface point for two or more substances, often a substance itself, that promotes a change in one or more of the constituent substances. You can have two things that don’t mix at all, until the proper catalyst is added, and then a resulting change happens – often times explosive. Or delicious – any artistic baker worth his salt knows that ingredients need to be added and reacted in a certain order and proportion to make the most tasty and appealing cakes.
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In many ways, people in our lives can act as catalysts for tremendous change – in interacting with them, we are given an opportunity to see and define ourselves more clearly. Our choices and decisions, our beliefs and values, they come into contact with the other person and the experience often both validates and challenges us in many ways. Yet ultimately, it shows us who we are and defines us further, changing us in the process. We give and take; we accept some things, and reject some things. It’s completely dynamic.
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As much as we plan our lives, there are certain events or people that collide with us and bring about a tremendous reaction within us. The catalyst could be as diverse as losing your home to a tornado, being diagnosed with a life changing illness, meeting someone who challenges you and pushes you to a higher ideal, or the birth of a child. When it comes to people, often times the most influential person in our lives gets dubbed the ‘significant other’. In fact, if they didn’t have a dramatic effect on our lives, I would have to argue that they would be much more appropriately called the ‘insignificant other’. They become an interface point between you and your life, a new perspective in which you view yourself – your actions and your ambitions, and everything that defines you.
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Catalysts are scary things, because by their very nature the effects they have are unplanned and dynamic, and entirely personal. A reactant cannot just simply choose or plan to not react to a catalyst – it is very precisely named a reactant for a reason. For us as people to spend so much time and energy planning and struggling for control, having a catalytic experience is a deeply unsettling thing. Perhaps our biggest solace lies in our ability to choose how we react. Redefining ourselves is perhaps the most intensive struggle a person can endure, much more so than maintaining a tremulous status-quo. That struggle is often the beginning of something transcendent within us, mixing us with something else to bring about something more than we were before.
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Reacting is an uncomfortable and completely involved process, but I wish to encourage you to treat it as such – a process. By the time we realize we are reacting, the change has begun – from that point on we are given the choice and the responsibility in choosing how we continue on with the reaction. In chemistry as in life, some reactions once undergone are irreversible, the effects follow you. We can however choose how to set up situations in which we know reactions are possible, and we can choose to be aware of how we react if we so desire, to not allow ourselves to become consumed in the process but rather more stable, more defined, and more appropriately self-differentiated.
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In the bible, there are many examples of people who experienced events or met certain people along the way that interrupted their lives in very profound ways. For example, when Jesus met John the Baptist, upon John’s declaration of Him being the Christ, Andrew and another disciple were confronted with the opportunity to follow Jesus and learn more about Him, to see if He really was who He promised to be. From there on, their lives were dramatically changed, and their paths altered in ways they could never have imagined. Andrew acted as a catalyst as well, connecting his brother Simon Peter to Jesus too – a man who Jesus would later bestow much honor on. None of that would have precipitated had Jesus not met John in the presence of Andrew.
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Another notable example would be Saul, who while he was busy persecuting the church and on his way to imprison more followers of the Way (before they were called Christians), received a tremendous vision from God that startled the people traveling with him as well. The question Jesus asked him brought him into a position that catalyzed his life – the decision to lay down his zeal for persecuting, and trade it for the zeal of a relationship with Jesus, one that transformed him and allowed him to have an affect on people two thousand years after he had passed on.
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I have met many people in my lifetime that have had affected my life in dramatic ways. To borrow another cliche, in many ways I am who I am by ‘standing on the shoulders of giants‘. Early on, many of them directly taught me how to think, formulations and methods and practices that bring about useful and functional results in life. Many of them, as I pursued friendships with them, showed me how unsatisfying the life I thought I wanted truly was. Bit by bit, piece by piece, they catalyzed within me a growing hunger for something more – this precipitated into my pursuit of my faith.
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Lately, to a larger degree, I am being given wonderful opportunities to reflect on who I am, and where I am in relation to my God. People close to me in my life have challenged me (likely without even knowing it) just by being who they are to see if my walk matches my talk, and to reflect deeply upon the motivations and values I cling to; to gain a more intricate and grounded understanding of them. Daily I’m being brought closer to God through the questions and encouragement of these people, and finding a much more deep and robust relationship with Him because of it.
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In this sense, I imagine God to be something of a baker – and the situations He puts me in, and the people He brings into my life are catalysts for making me into a delicious cake – er, rather, a more complex and robust individual to help catalyze others in whatever way He chooses. It’s tremendously challenging, but the delight of anticipating something new and greater — while seeing changes take place even now — is worth the struggle. My entire life is and will always be a summation of reactions and reflections, and I am truly learning to reach out for a more profound patience with the process. One does not put cherries and icing on the cake until it is finished being baked. But it sure can smell good while it is being baked!
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In Summary,
+ A Catalyst is an interface point for two or more reactants
+ Reactions are a mixing to create something new.
+ We are not in control of IF we react; rather HOW we react.
For you, a verse mash-up. These are three verses I found very useful in writing this post.
To be honest, they are really what catalyzed into me precipitating this blog post.
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A man’s heart plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.
But the LORD directs his steps.
As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
The word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
So Commit your work to the LORD,
and your plans will be established.
and your plans will be established.
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Proverbs 16:9, 2 Samuel 22:31, Proverbs 16:3
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