Sandpaper and Oil...

"Don't forget to get the oil changed," my husband said before he went out of town. I was thinking that maybe I should also get some of that Slick 50 stuff to add as well. It is supposed to reduce the friction in your engine and protect against heat damage, even after the oil is drained out.

Later that day, my daughter and I were working on a project. We used some glue and scrapbook paper to decorate an inexpensive notebook. The problem was, the paper peeled off too easily. So the second time around, I used some sandpaper to scuff up the surface before applying the glue. It worked like a charm.

I was thinking about these things with respect to people and the way we deal with each other. There are some people in my life who are sandpaper. They seem to rub me the wrong way every time I'm around them. I leave their presence with scuffs and abrasions. And there are other people who are like oil -- they slip in somewhere and make life easier, with their kind words, their encouragement, or their help.

Oil is significant in the Bible. It is used for healing, for anointing, for burning in lamps. Oil is extremely valuable, and it isn't surprising that there are miracle accounts involving oil. I love the story of Elisha and the widow from 2 Kings 4. He tells her to borrow containers from her neighbors, and she begins to fill them with the "little oil" she has left, and before long, all of the vessels are filled. I think the oil of encouragement can flow and flow and flow with the grace of God working in our lives.

But what of sand? This particular passage caught my imagination, and has been stuck there for awhile. Deuteronomy 33:19 says:

"They will summon peoples to the mountain
and there offer sacrifices of righteousness;
they will feast on the abundance of the seas,
on the treasures hidden in the sand."

Is it possible that there may well be some treasure hidden in the grit that comes between people in a community? I don't like it, to be sure, but those little irritations and scuffed feelings may serve a higher purpose. What else will soften up my rough edges? If I have the right attitude, I can benefit from that sanding, especially if the healing oil of love is also present in abundance.