I had heard many positive reviews about Castor Oil use. Many reported greater hair density, stronger hair strands and moisture retention while other experiences revealed excess shedding and unbearable itching of the scalp. As I unscrewed the bottle of Castor Oil I had bought I anticipated my experience to be one of the positive ones because my hair needed some of those same great benefits to which people alluded!
For days I had researched, scouring the internet for the benefits of Castor Oil and watching way too many YouTube videos depicting the results people had had from using the product for an extended period and others on reviews on the potency of varying Castor Oil products. I found that this activity bolstered my confidence in the product and I was not going to wait any longer to get started...
As I plastered the Castor Oil on my edges my thoughts were transported to my faith in God! How could I have so much faith in this product and yet my faith in God was not always as stable and strong as it should be? If I could trust the Castor Oil to do what it said it could do then how much more should I trust God!
I realized that I believe God is capable of doing everything but wrestled with whether I believed He would actually do it for me and that is where I had been going wrong. Let me not even mention the irony (and embarrassment smh) in how I could be patient with the Castor Oil to work but needed God to perform a miracle to change my situation because I just could not wait for Him.
Let's take a quick look at these scriptures:
"For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right" Psalm 84:11 (NLT)
"But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world" 1 John 4:4 (NLT)
"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him" Matthew 7: 11 (NLT)
"The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure" 1 Cortinthians 10:13 (NLT)
I could go on!
Here is a recipe to apply to your life and your circumstances that is far more potent than Castor Oil (smile) and that promises positive outcomes at all times:
1) The Character of God: Who is He in Your situation?
Is there something that you need? Then He is Jehovah Jirreh, the God that provides.
2) God's Activity in the past
What has He done for you that revealed His powers, wisdom and trustworthiness?
3) What does God's Word say about your current situation?
Maybe you want to find a verse of scripture in the Bible that speaks specifically to what you are going through
4) Other People's Experience
What has other people said about God's activity in their situation that is similar to yours? You may want to search the internet or check out YouTube (hehehe) or you may just want to talk with a family member, friend,co-worker,church brother or sister who would be able to speak on what you are faced with or who will encourage you as needed
Then as your faith is bolstered, it is time to exercise it and like me and my Castor Oil treatment, start plastering it (faith), this time all over your life and your circumstances that you know might need a helping hand to be in its best form (smile).
Next time choose to believe God in and for your situation! He is the only one that always works:)
Until next time:)
EJ
Thank you so much for sharing. This really makes us take a moment and honestly examine our faith. thanks again!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteIt is often times easy for us to trust in things in the natural because they are right before our very eyes. Trusting God is truly a challenge especially when you are unable to see when He is or is going to work in your circumstances. This is where faith however becomes crucial, as it is "the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen."
ReplyDeleteI have been guilty several times of not trusting God and having faith in Him, especially during those times when things didn't go my way and I did not get what I wanted. When I finally got over myself though (lol) I realized that most times it is because what I wanted wasn't God's will for me, or it just simply didn't line up with His Word. I have been learning to let go of myself and just let Him do what He needs to because His Word in Romans 8:28 assures me that "all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose."
Drawing reference from the castor oil scenario - what if the negative results are achieved? Would you then have all that faith you had in the castor oil when you just started out? Then what if the negative results were not the ultimate, but just a precursor to the positive ones? Lots of times we start out with sooo much faith and somehow lose it along the way when we don't see the desired result being imminent. We must however hold on to that faith and increase it as much as we can cause we can't see the bigger picture that God can. Also, we mustn't forget that God's plans are to "prosper us and not harm us; to give us hope and a future."
So without fear and doubt, go ahead and plaster that faith all over your life and circumstances and trust God to work things out according to His will and purpose.
Monique thank you for an insightful comment! You raise several valid points. One thing that I have been learning of late is that the closer we get to Christ is the more our flesh (the ‘I’) needs to be subdued. You are right the castor oil may not work for me as it has for others but this is the main difference with the castor oil and God which we somehow need to get into our spirit as believers that God cannot fail. He is good for every situation, for every person no matter the uniqueness of our circumstances. So there is no question about whether He will work for us, right (lol) and we know this and yet smh lol. I suppose what we need to remember when we do not get what we ask for is that God knows what is best and even if we cannot see it now we can TRUST Him to do right by us. I have realized that doing right by us will not always feel good but the outcome is always more than we could ever ask our think. I suppose what we need to do is to apply the other moments when He came through for us to this uncertain time to boost our faith, but also to subject ourselves to Him (with the help of the Holy Spirit) in such a way that what we want for ourselves matches what God wants for us. Thanks again for posting to continue the convo and I look forward to your thoughts as we continue this journey together!
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