God's Immersion Oil

God’s Immersion Oil

7/10/12

It is a true statement when it is said that God has His own immersion oil.  The oil that anoints certain situations can only come from God and when we look at events at a later time we realize that the results obtained can only come from God.  This oil is located within us and it is used in times when God deems people are ready to hear His message for their lives; however, sometimes we humans jump the gun and use this oil ourselves which in all cases turns out to be disastrous.  It is a common mistake Christians have made and we need to learn to allow God to use His oil on those who are ready and even on those who believe that they are not ready.

I have a small cylinder at the back of the desk in my Oncology laboratory.  And its sole purpose is to hold a solution called immersion oil.  The cylinder is about two inches tall and only about ½ inch in diameter.  The lid of the cylinder is made of metal and screws onto the top of the cylinder.  The lid has a small dropper point on top that will allow for the contents to be slowly forced onto a flat surface.  A plastic cover is present on the tip of the dropper to keep other particles from contaminating the oil while it is being stored.

Some of the patients that come into the department require an additional examination that includes a smear of their cells onto a slide.  These cells will provide a valuable resource in knowing what is occurring within the body.  The process includes a drop of the patient’s blood onto a clean glass slide and then another glass slide is then presented close to the drop of blood.  The drop of blood then runs along the edge of the top glass slide and then the top glass slide is run along the surface of the bottom glass slide which allows for the blood cells to be distributed in a uniform manner.  The blood smear is then allowed to air dry for a few minutes before further processing is needed.

After the blood smear has dried completely, the slide is dipped in alcohol to fix the cells to the slide this process allows the cells to “fix” themselves to the glass slide and at the same time dries the cells which “freezes” them into a permanent state.  The next couple of steps include dipping the glass slide into a couple of different stains which provides a color scheme of the cells in order for the technologist to read their shape and size.  These stains when dried do not provide a moist surface which makes the cells impossible to be read accurately.  So, a viscid oil film needs to be placed on top of the cells so that they can complete their function.  This is where the right amount of immersion oil takes its stage.

After a certain amount of time the immersion oil can be placed onto the slide, but it must be done at the appropriate time.  If the oil is placed on the slide too early then the oil will wash some of the cells off of the slide and if the oil is placed on the cells after an extended period of time, the stains may have distorted the cell’s structures.  In either case the cells are moved or destroyed and will provide inaccurate results in which the entire process must begin from the beginning.

When it is time for the oil to be used the tip cover is taken off and placed to the side.  The cylinder is then turned upside down and placed close to the flat surface that the oil will be placed upon.  In this case the oil will be placed on a blood smear slide.  A single drop of immersion oil is placed on the slide and from there it can be spread out evenly across the slide surface for further magnification.  The cylinder is then turned back upright and the tip returned to the top of the dropper.

The immersion oil that is used for this magnification process has been carefully produced so that the correct effect for magnification and clarity is obtained when it is placed in the area to be viewed.  Immersion oil is colorless and slightly viscid in its consistency which makes it easy to spread across the slide all while serving to enhance the cells on the stained slide.  A trained person will know exactly how much oil to distribute onto the slide in one convincing stroke, which saves time and effort in the slide reading process.  Sometimes the oil need not to be spread across the slide and its purpose is served within the local vicinity of the oil droplet.

An adequate amount of oil is needed for cell clarity and the right enhancement for the slide.  The addition of too little immersion oil will not provide the necessary enhancement to allow the person reading the slide to obtain an accurate cell count.  In contrast, placing too much oil on the slide can blur the slide and even damage the microscope oculars.  Also, if one places too much oil on the slide the oil’s capillary motion will take effect when the microscope lens is placed over the oil droplet, and if this happens oil will get inside the lens and ruin the lens.  In all of the above situations the slide cannot be read correctly so that the function of the slide and possible visual projector is rendered useless.

Many students have a difficult time with this portion of the cell staining procedure.  It is a procedure that needs to be mastered in order to receive the ultimate conditions so that the desired results may be obtained.  The person who reads these slides knows just how much oil is needed for each slide for you see each slide that is made is totally different from the previous slide or even the next slide even if the smear was made from the same specimen.  See, the person who is going to read the slide actually made that individual slide so they understand its potential and know just how to complete it so that exact counts can be achieved.

Throughout human history many types of oils have been used to serve the human race.  Oil is one of the oldest and most widely used substances that have kept civilization together, as with its usage being a constant source of controversy with some people.  One cannot argue the fact that oil based products have allowed for so many human progressions which have proven themselves over and over.  Cooking oils, oil used in lamps, olive oils are just a few types that humans have benefited from over the millennia but in this case the oil is used to enhance meaning and to project a wealth of information to the creator of the slide.

I am not going to go into detail about the glass slides that are used in this process but what I will say about them is this, they are uniquely created and each one of them have a specific size, shape and thickness bout them in order to perform their intended function.  Each one of them may look the same as another but they are designed specifically for a purpose, just as all of us are. 

Now that the stage is set concerning the usage of the oil and a general knowledge of how the oil works, the communication lines that God and humans have function relatively in the same manner as immersion oil does when it is added to the glass slide containing blood cells.  God knows exactly when and how much oil is needed to ensure that our spiritual communication lines are enhanced well enough to relay God’s messages to other people.  This oil brings to life the words that God intends for His people to hear and to understand.  His words come in times of human despair, praises, blessings and warnings, but it is the use of His oil that enables a person or group of people to proclaim His words to others.

Inside the human there is exists a space for the same type of oil.  All of us have this space within our lives and it is created especially for us and to be used in a certain way that touches other lives.  Our oil comes from the one provider who actually created us in a unique way unlike no one else in the universe.  The oil that is present in our lives comes from God and is used when the spirit leads and only a direct spiritual communication with God will allow for the adequate spiritual usage of the oil.  See, it is not our words that touch other people’s lives but it the words that God uses through us that actually speak to the people that are listening for those words and to those words.  In no way are we capable of convincing one person to change their ways and accept Christ without the divine presence of God being presented to them through spiritual communication.  If it was up to us, then we would blow it every single time we had an opportunity.

God’s immersion oil is applied when God is ready for it to be applied and not a second earlier or later.  We as humans like to rush this process and we have become famous for trying to complete this act with our own timing.  We like to believe that our communication lines with God are in excellent condition but how can they be if we do not have the strength to hold back when the time is not right.  Only God knows the human heart in manners that we cannot understand, it is He who prepares the heart and brings it into a place of readiness.  Only God knows the individual paths of humans so well that He can bring people together at a specific time and place and deliver His words to others in His own way. 

God places this oil within our lives as a key instrument in letting others know about His presence in their lives.  It is used by Him to show and to explain how much He loves us and desires for us to walk in Him.  The oil is used by people who understand this concept and are willing to share the gospel of Christ to them.  They know when to present the words of God to these people and it is at that time they find the correct words from God to speak to the other people’s lives.  It is our responsibility to keep our oil fresh within our lives so that when the time comes for God to speak through us it will be ready to use by Him.  It is also our responsibility to understand that there are times that God will not use His oil within us for specific reasons that may not be clear to us at that time.  Jumping the gun is not advisable but in some circumstances we do this and God’s message is thwarted.

It is imperative that we keep our spiritual ears and eyes open at all times.  God has His eyes on people and since He knows their hearts He might be calling on us to communicate His love for them through us.  It is at this time that we must be prepared to witness to these people by allowing God to use His oil to speak to others.  We are the only tools that God has on this earth to get the attention of other people.  The words we use at God’s moment may not always be of salvation but of encouragement.  The words may be of a matter that we have no idea of what is transpiring in that person’s life all we must know is that when God speaks to us to say something it means that His timing is accurate and it is the opportune time for us to use His oil and speak to that person. 

DLB