Heart Soap

"Why do we have to wear goggles and a mask?" asked Lily.Lily's mom covered her mouth and nose and dropped goggles over her eyes. "When we pour lye into water, it causes a chemical reaction. The fumes aren't good to breathe."Lily put on a mask, goggles, and gloves, then stirred the water as her mom slowly added the granulated lye. "Wow! That still burns my eyes.""It takes something powerful to change oil into soap," Mom explained.Lily put a thermometer into the water and lye solution. She put another thermometer into the olive oil they had warmed on the stove. "The lye water is 250 degrees. That's hot!" Lily checked the oil. "The oil is only 150 degrees.""We'll mix them when both temperatures are around 110 degrees," said her mom.They set the pitcher of lye water in a sink filled with cold water to cool it down. Then they waited. Thirty minutes later, both temperatures were just right. They poured the lye into the oil and stirred, then kept stirring, resting every fifteen minutes. Finally, Mom said it was ready. "See how thick it is? When I make trails on top of the soap with my spoon, they stay there." "It looks like vanilla pudding!"Mom stirred a lavender-scented liquid into the mixture, then poured the soap into long, rectangular molds."When can we use it?" Lily asked."First it needs to harden in a dark, warm place for a day or two. Then we'll unmold it, cut it into bars, and let it dry for four weeks."Lily's eyes widened. "That's forever!" Mom laughed. "You need to be patient--like Jesus.""What does Jesus have to do with making soap?" asked Lily."Think of it this way. We're the oil, and the Holy Spirit is the power that changes us. When we put our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is poured into us. Over time, He purifies our hearts so we become more like Jesus and others can see we belong to Him. He teaches us to turn from sin and helps us grow in our faith. Jesus waits patiently for that to happen."Lily smiled. "I want my heart to be as clean as our sweet-smelling soap!" -Bonnie Carr