This week, I was beveling and cleaning soap bars in preparation for a photo session. Although it's not particularly thrilling, I find it enjoyable and relaxing to smooth the edges of new soaps. During tasks like these, the Lord often teaches me small lessons. As I worked through the stack of soaps to be beveled, I encountered one that hadn't emulsified with the fragrance oil as expected, leaving a layer on top that needed to be removed to reveal the beautiful design beneath. I was pleased it could be salvaged with minimal effort to clean it up and prepare it for its photo shoot.
The subsequent batch of soap wasn't as fortunate. The fragrance oil created small, unattractive dark spots throughout the soap, with pockets of oil and even some tiny crystals that made me suspect there might be unincorporated lye pockets, despite blending the batter much longer than typically required for emulsification. I started mourning the loss of this soap batch—the materials, time, and skills invested in making it seemed wasted.
I heard that quiet, gentle voice say, "Just like a soul burdened with many sins that can harm not only themselves but also those around them, this soap can be redeemed by its creator." This was followed by a brief vision of my crock pot. This crock pot was repurposed for my "re-batch" soaps... any soap that was questionable for any reason could be melted down and remixed. Malachi kept coming to mind about being through the refiner's fire... I looked it up and the entire verse says:
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. Malachi 3:2 KJV
I didn't remember the part about fuller's soap, so I thought that was a nice bonus.
I also considered that soap, much like every person on earth, has a purpose. If something prevents the soap from achieving its purpose, it can be "rebatched" into a new form. The creator heats it, adds a few more ingredients, and molds it into a new and improved shape. What many people don't realize is that rebatch soap—similar to a reborn soul—can now fulfill its purpose in a way even greater than initially intended. This is because the creator doesn't give up on them but provides extra time and resources to help them shine.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 KJV
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