“Activation Energy”

At times, what little is  left of my chemistry knowledge surfaces in my brain. 

I majored in chemistry in college, which is truly amazing because I didn’t like it very much (huge understatement) and I wasn’t very good at it… just good enough to squeeze out a major after taking 18 hours of chemistry courses. I really hope some of that pain can be counted against my time in purgatory. It’s truly a twist of fate that many years later I actually taught high school chemistry. Anyway, this leads to a point I want to make, about  “activation energy… anyone remember activation energy?

In a nutshell, all chemical reactions need activation energy to get started…. For example, activation energy is needed to start a car engine. Turning the key causes a spark that activates the burning of gasoline in the engine. The combustion of gas won’t occur without the spark of energy to begin the reaction. Activation energy is the minimum energy required to cause a reaction to occur. 

I need “activation energy” to get going every day. 

Now I believe  the Holy Spirit activates my desire to serve and obey the Lord every morning and throughout the day. But “how” this happens is a different story. For example, maybe to get me up early to start my day, he may inspire Judy with making pancakes… “hey the pancakes and bacon are ready…anyone want to get up for breakfast”. (Hint-Hint) Or maybe I look in the mirror and I suddenly realize that I’ve turned into a “blimp” and need to go on a diet…. the look in the mirror is the spark I needed. God does use many different things to get us moving at times…giving us that spark, that activation energy, to do a certain thing. It can be the conviction about a particular sin that causes me to repent and change. It may be sickness or suffering which causes me to pray more intently; maybe it’s the crises in the church, the country, and the world which causes me to cry out for mercy. God can “light a fire under us” to get us moving in the right direction. We may not like God’s particular “activation energy” or “spark”, but if it gets us moving in the right direction , then it’s a good thing. Today a good friend shared about driving to meet with his nephew who has very serious cancer. He drove a long distance to meet with him and just tell him that he loved him while hoping to introduce him to the Lord before his time on this earth is over. It was a beautiful act of love. That sharing was a spark for me to not be complacent in reaching out to those in need, even when it costs me something.  So let us all keep our eyes and ears open to the spark that can activate us to more zealously serve the Lord. Activation energy….I knew there was a reason I learned about it.