I was talking about this analogy in the Food for Thought thread I started earlier tonight and I realized I had it on Facebook. After going back and reading it, I thought I'd share it with everyone. What you find below is a note that I wrote and posted on my Facebook on 3 April 2008 with a few minor corrections and changes. I'm posting it in the Ask a Girl section because I just really don't know what section it fits in. Feel free to comment and enjoy.
Ever since I saw my first chemical equation in the eighth grade, I�ve known that Chemistry would be my life�s work. I looked at the equation on the page of my general science book and said to myself, �That makes sense.� As it turns out it didn�t make sense to anyone else in the class�go figure. From that point on, I have been entranced with Chemistry, learning everything I can about it. As I learn more about Chemistry, the more I find it permeating all other areas of my life and the more I understand and perceive my world through the lens of chemistry. Thus it came as no surprise to me when I began to understand God and Heaven in terms of Chemistry.
It all began one night during the devotional part of my fraternity�s chapter meeting. The topic for the night was how God is a gigantic, all powerful being yet He chooses to walk with each of us and tells us all that He has our back no matter how much we screw up, no matter how much we steal, slander, lust, murder, or rape to name just a few sins we humans do. Just think about that for a minute. God, the creator of the universe, the one who brought all the stars and planets - not to mention our sun - into existence, the one who can be in all places and times at once, the one who made all creatures of this planet and made humans to lord over them, the one who created humans - Adam first then Eve from one of his ribs - in his image then gave them the free will to be able to disobey him (which they did, introducing all sin into human nature) is the same God who tells each and every human in the world that He loves us, He has our back and will never let us be tested beyond what we can stand. He will never leave our side. What an amazing image.
When I heard this, it really got the gears going in my head. Just earlier in the week, I had been doing research on a polymer containing the compound hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), a powder that had a fairly strong fishy smell and I suddenly came to the realization that God loves me and walks beside me even though He is infinitely larger than the universe and I�m like a single molecule of the HMTA - extremely small and smelling like old fish. I�m am so small, I�d be otherwise ignored except for the fact that I smell awful, which makes me detestable, and God still tells me He�s got my back. My immediate reaction to this is, �Wow, God really must love me!� How can He not love me? He surely must; I�m detestable like HMTA and He still wants to have my back.
My vision of chemist heaven was increased only a few months later at a fraternity retreat. The speaker for the retreat was talking about how when people find the treasure that is God, they can�t help but invest what they have in it, using what talents, skills, and resources they have to tell others what joy they�ve found in Christ and to grow together with other Christians. When I heard this, research again came to my mind.
The speaker had read Matthew 13:44-46 in his discussion. It reads:
�The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.�
This passage immediately made me think of research. Research involves weeks, months, or even years of work to make and understand any particular compound you may want to study. It just so happens that about two weeks before this retreat I had finally succeeded in making a compound, the type of which I had been attempting to synthesize for about 3 months, not only that but it was one of my favorite shades of blue. Naturally, I was extremely excited and couldn�t help but brag to anyone who would listen. Of course, the nature of research means that you attempt to recreate the compound produced and study it, leaving many of your other projects on hold to study this one.
At this point, I came to realize that the treasure or the fine pearl from the passage in Matthew is like the compound made in my research. Once found all other things were left behind in favor of this more important one. As such, the kingdom of heaven must be like finding be like the joy of finding that one compound that a chemist has been searching for. Once found all other things that don�t bring the joy of studying it are left behind in favor of that one thing.
This one thought began an avalanche of thoughts in my head. If the kingdom of heaven is like chemistry research, and God is the King of heaven, that makes him the Master Chemist right? And if God is the Master Chemist, and He loves us and uses us to further His plan, doesn�t that make us His reagents? It seems to make sense. However, because we all know that we are imperfect because we sin, that must make us impure reagents, which makes sense because, many times in research, impure reagents are used to simply find the right target product then they are purified in order to produce pure product. At this point it all makes sense to me. All humans, including myself, are God�s reagents in His grand reaction scheme. He uses us to further His plans even though we are impure. This explains why we are tested, why those who know they are sinners try to avoid sin, and why Christians can sometimes lead others to avoid Christianity. God allows us to be tested in order to make sure we are as pure reagents as we can possibly be. He alerts us to sin in this way and we try to cut it from our lives in order that He may use us to further his plan more efficiently. However, because we are impure, we can sometimes lead those who haven�t yet realized they are God�s reagents astray. They see Christians behaving hypocritically because they are impure and turn their backs on the idea of Christianity - an unfortunate side reaction to God�s use of us as impure reagents. Side reactions are why we as reagents in God�s grand scheme must strive to make ourselves sin-free and thus pure.
In this way, I came to the realization that the kingdom of heaven is the joy of being in God�s grand reaction flask. God is the Master Chemist and uses each and every person to further his plan, challenging all of us who carry the label of Christian to try and purify ourselves in order to produce more of whatever product God may be looking to produce.
Ok, your the Chemist, certianly not me..lol. So here is a idea I would like to see you run with: There is a seperation between God and man. Put them together and still nothing happens for man does not recognize God. Then add the catalyst, the Spirit of Jesus.
