The Right Kind Of Oil

In the parable of the ten virgins, the foolish virgins ask the wise virgins to lend them some of their oil, but the wise virgins refuse. This seems like an uncharitable act on the part of the wise virgins, but instead of lamps and oil, let us imagine instead that they were dealing with cars and fuel. If the wise virgins had full tanks of gas and the foolish virgins empty tanks, but the wise virgins' cars ran on diesel and the foolish virgins' cars on unleaded, then it wouldn't do any good to share their fuel. Each of us has a lamp that runs on its own special kind of oil that is not compatible with anyone else's. Some of us may need olive oil, or peanut oil, or kerosene, or whale blubber. The point is, we all see the world through our own unique lens, and so if we want the light of Christ to guide us, we need to gather the oil that will let our lamps burn the brightest and cleanest. We can try to make it by on someone else's testimony, but just like trying to put diesel in a car that only takes regular gasoline, it is not a great long term solution.