Aloe, Rum and Jesus!

So... One of the more unusual experiences I had on my vacation in March was a tour of an aloe factory in Aruba. My dear husband and I hopped off our cruise ship at the Aruba port and willingly hopped onto a tour bus which wove through the dry countryside to a rather small, nondescript metal building by the side of the road. If this factory is the largest in Aruba, this country is in trouble.

Outside the factory was a field of aloe vera plants – you know, the plants that most cooks have on their windowsill in the kitchen. Mine is quite spindly and almost dead, but the plants in Aruba were green and happy, standing three feet tall and full of the drippy, slurpy gel that is a balm for all problems. Our guide proceeded to slice a leaf open and peel the outer skin off with a flick of her wrist and behold, there was the answer to all my ailments.

You can eat it, drink it, and slather it to treat arthritis, high blood pressure, digestive disorder,s and ulcers. Slap it on a burn and the burn goes away. One gal said it can treat insomnia and hair loss.

The factory was a bust. No one was working. But we did see some very nice stainless steel vats and conveyor belts and of course, the gift shop was bustling.

Another stop our cruise ship made was to Jamaica, where we again hopped off and toured the countryside. The Jamaicans use another liquid as their balm – rum. Our Jamaican guide recanted all the medicinal uses of rum: it’s an antiseptic, it reduces the chance of cancer, stroke, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, macular degeneration, and kidney stones. It also acts as an aphrodisiac.  No kiddin’…

So now I have two items on my window sill: my spindly aloe vera plant and a big old jug of rum. One of these items is more fun to administer than the other…

Now all my ailments are cured…right?

Wrong.

We can treat all our physical ailments with all the aloe and rum in all the world, but one part of our human nature will still hurt and fail to thrive; our mind and emotions, our very soul. Deep down inside we all need a balm to soothe our hurts and calm our fears. We all need a Savior, a Comforter, a compassionate, loving, heavenly Father.

Psalm 103 says:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.

We all need more than aloe and rum. Add faith in God…lots of it

“This original content, created by me, was originally published on http://thoughtcirc.us on March 20, 2013. Thought Circus is a media & publishing brand that shares extraordinary information about our world.”