Have you ever considered who has been a catalyst to you in your faith walk? This past month in the Pulse the teens focused on the word “catalyst” and what that meant in terms of faith. [A catalyst is something or someone that starts a reaction.] I had the chance to share with the youth group a few of the people that have “spurred on” my faith, and since then I’ve continued to mull over who has had an impact on my relationship with Jesus and why.
My great aunts, Welda Bell and Nancy Benedict come to my mind. They dragged my father kicking and screaming (literally) to VBS, were a huge influence on his faith, and were one of the reasons my parents met. They also invested time in my siblings and me. Under their supervision I attended CEF summer camp, did a summer missionary training in Baltimore, and organized a small group for my peers that met in their home.
My youth leaders in high school, Jason and Julie Chitester. They taught me how to dig into scripture and study the Bible. They asked deep questions and encouraged me to ask them as well. Their influence was a part of what helped me to
begin pursuing Christ and making my relationship with Him my own in a way that I had never done before.
The person in college who helped to reignite my faith, Shane Locke. I became the volunteer female youth leader at the church where he was leading the youth group. He was one of the people that drew me back to a faith I had walked away from. He also suggested I work at Christian summer camp, Camp Judson – where I ended up meeting my husband (and where we got the name for our oldest kiddo). My friendship with him set me on a different path from the one I was
headed down, and in some ways, changed my life forever.
My husband, Josh Trojak. A mutual friend from camp once commented that Josh was the same person both in the “camp bubble” and in the real world. Before I “liked” him, I was very aware that he was a man of integrity. And in the past 14 years, he is often the person that has redirected my focus when I take my eyes off of Christ and put them on myself.
This is just a small snapshot of all the people who have played such a huge role in spurring me on in my relationship with Christ. Grandparents, parents, siblings, relatives (both by blood and marriage), Sunday school teachers, pastors, mentors, bosses, coworkers, friends, authors, musicians…. The list goes on and on. There are so many people who have helped me deepen my relationship with Christ. Who called me out on sin that I needed to deal with. Who encouraged me and came alongside me when it seemed too hard to keep running towards Him. Who set an example that I want to follow.
Who has been a catalyst in your faith walk? My encouragement to you is to start making a list for yourself of who and why they specifically are someone who has impacted you. (Maybe even take some time to thank a few of them for what they’ve meant to you and your relationship with Christ.) Then take it a step further – Who can you be a catalyst for? We interact with people every day, and God has placed people in our lives that we can affect (for better or worse). What sort of catalyst will you be to those around you?