Check Your Oil

Depending on the make and model of your vehicle and the type of oil it takes, It is recommended to have your vehicle's oil checked and/or replaced after a certain amount of time or a certain number of miles, whichever comes first. In a similar way, every few months or an equivalent number of miles on our souls, we ought to check on the state of our spiritual oil. The Savior used oil as a symbol of our testimony or our conversion as disciples of Christ. Just as motor oil can leak out or become corrupted by dirt and grime and start to lose its virtue and effectiveness, our spiritual oil, or our testimonies and our conversion, can get used up or tainted by the dirt and grime that gets in from worldly influences. There is nothing wrong with us or with our efforts to live a Christ-centered life when this happens. Engine oil cleans the muck off the moving parts of the engine and makes sure everything is running with a minimum of friction, wear and damage. Our testimonies are the same. They help us make it through this life and overcome challenges and make tough decisions and keep us unspotted and unshackled from the world. That's why it's so important that we regularly check on the state of our spiritual oil and when necessary, drain out the old and used up oil and replace it with new, clean, fresh oil. I know from personal experience the dangers that can come from failing to check on my oil and replace at the appropriate time, whether we're talking about my car's oil or my spiritual oil, and I know that I have more peace of mind and the strength and the flexibility to better overcome trials, adversities and temptations when I've been more disciplined on maintaining the oil of my testimony and conversion to the gospel. I know that we can all navigate through life much more smoothly when we are giving proper care and attention to our checking and maintaining our spiritual oil.