A friend of mine is sold out to essential oils. Her family calls it her Voodoo Mama Juju. She convinced me to try some products, and I liked them. But more importantly, I began paying attention to all the chemicals I put in and on my body each day. That awareness become a quest to, one by one, eliminate as many chemicals from my life as possible. Pain meds. Laundry detergent. Deodorant. But then came the facial cleanser. I was beginning to run out of my regular, so... The first recipe I tried was a win! I was sold! It was oils for life for me! Okay, it was probably not that dramatic, but it got me searching my Bible for information on oil.
The passage I am meditating on this morning is The Parable of the Ten Virgins. Five wise virgins took extra oil for their lamps as they went to meet the bridegroom; five foolish took only their lamps. As the warning went out the bridegroom was on his way, the foolish virgins realized they were running out of oil. They ducked out to go buy more, but in their absence, missed the bridegroom's arrival and forfeited their wedding invitation.
Now, I know this parable is about preparedness, and not necessarily about oil; but in their culture, those hearing Jesus' words would have immediately understood the importance of having oil. Oil was essential to their lifestyle. Ceremonies and burials, personal care, fuel, trade and income, diet, healing. They used oil for everything, and would not have carelessly left the house in the middle of the night to wait for what could possibly be hours, without it. As the foolish virgins found, there was no substitute for pure oil.
We have plenty of substitutes. Humanity, in its quest for ease and "progress" has developed products and methods to expedite healing or make lighting our homes so much more effortless. The chemical-based products I mentioned are substitutes for some of the oils previously used to care for ourselves and our families. Products laced with chemicals that are, in some cases, highly toxic or, at the least, questionable. And that's what brings me to my takeaway for today...
What am I using as a substitute for Jesus in my life? What toxic or questionable things am I doing that compromise my spiritual health? What thoughts have I allowed that are really my attempt to make things easier or more palatable? What habits are my Default Setting when things in my walk are not what I am accustomed to? Is reading a paragraph in the latest devotional a "good enough" substitute for Scripture when I'm short on time? It's okay to miss church if I've got a lot to catch up on, right? Does singing along to worship music count as praying, 'cause I just can't seem to focus today?
There is no substitute for pure oil.
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