The Catalyst

It was the sound that attracted me.
It was the crunch.
If freshness had a sound then this was it.
I wanted to try this delicious sounding food.

I look back now and smile at the memory.
I can see myself so clearly sitting on our back porch.
At the round glass top table I watched my aunt enjoy her salad.
I heard the sound of the lettuce as she chewed.

It wasn’t that she was chewing loudly.
It was just that I was sitting next to her.
She seemed to be enjoying her salad so very much.
I wanted some too.

My mother was not one to waste food.
Are you sure you want a salad? She asked not believing that I would.
I do, with tomatoes please.
I saw my mother and my aunt give each other knowing glances.

A mini salad was made.
I took my first bite and heard the delicious crunch of the lettuce.
I savored the taste.
I was hooked; that was the beginning of my love of salads.

It is silly to think that a sound drew me.
It is strange to think that of all the foods I would want to try, this was it.
Back in those days, salads were merely iceberg lettuce and tomatoes.
Of course, you could have an onion too if you wanted, but I didn’t.

There was another thing I wanted for a strange reason.
I wanted to wear glasses.
I liked the way people took them off, put the side piece in their mouth so they could think.
That posture made the person seem so smart, so intellectual.

You are smart, my mother would say.
I was but I thought the glasses would make me smarter.
So as a third grader I got my wish.
Wearing glasses was not all it was cracked up to be.

Maybe that’s because I got braces the same year.
Maybe there were too many changes at once.
Maybe it was because I was tall.
Maybe it was because it was an awkward time anyway.

I wanted to try lettuce because of the way it sounded.
I wanted to wear glasses because I thought it would make me smarter.
They were strange reasons for doing things.
They were my reasons nonetheless.

Even though the motives were a bit skewed, it all turned out just fine.
I thrive on eating salads, not with just lettuce and tomatoes.
My salads have every fresh vegetable you can imagine, with nuts and seeds as well.
An organic delight all because of the crunch I heard when I was a little girl.

Glasses have become stylish and trendy.
Not at all like the brown plastic eye-wear that was available back then.
It is debatable if the glasses made me smarter.
But they frame my face and help me to see and have become a part of me.

Imagine watching someone think with their glasses in their mouth.
Imagine listening to someone chew their lettuce.
Imagine that these two things became a part of me in a very unlikely way.
They are seemingly random but important.

Even when it doesn’t seem as if they are, people are watching.
Even when it doesn’t seem as if they are, people are listening.
Not in a Big Brother type way.
Rather in an “I want to learn from you” kind of way.

One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught His disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Father, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ “…So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11: 1-4,9-13)

There was something about the way Jesus prayed that attracted the disciples.
Maybe it was the way He sounded when He prayed.
Maybe it was the way He looked when He prayed.
Something about Jesus’ prayer life drew them.

The disciples were watching Jesus closely.
They learned from the things He taught them.
They learned from the things He showed them.
They learned just by walking with Him.

Jesus’ relationship with His Father was alive.
The disciples knew that they didn’t have that kind of relationship.
They wanted it.
They wanted Jesus to teach them how to speak to the Father in an intimate way.

All because they heard Him.
All because they watched Him.
Jesus was delighted to teach them.
Jesus’ words were not lofty and grandiose.

Jesus’ words were not loud and flamboyant.
Jesus’ words were simple and heartfelt.
Jesus was talking to His Father.
He wanted His disciples to talk to Him as their Father as well.

He wanted His disciples to know that they could ask the Father for things.
He wanted His disciples to know that they could come to the Father at any time.
He wanted His disciples to know that they could bring any request to God.
He wanted to make sure that His disciples knew that they were heard.

Jesus knew that some teaching is very intentional.
He also knew that some teaching is simply caught.
We who are parents, neighbors, friends, and co-workers can teach others.
More often than not, we have ample opportunities for others to catch our faith.

People will hear us talk about the Lord Jesus.
People will see us live our lives to honor Him, though imperfectly for sure.
What they hear and what they see will draw them.
It will draw them, not to us, but to Him.

Imagine all of the things that are going on when you are unaware.
You are a catalyst.
God’s catalyst.
Imagine.

 

2 responses to “The Catalyst”

1. But why did we wear cleats on the back of our penny loafers?? 😉

   Reply

   • Cathy,
     To save the heels of our shoes from wearing down, of course!
     They made such a great sound as we walked down the hallway.
     Regina

     Reply