I saw something online today that caught my eye. I haven’t been able to shake it & it’s not the first time I’ve seen this. Facebook, Instagram & Twitter. The world wide web. It’s not always pretty. Eye opening but by no means pretty.

A health post poised as a question of interest. This one was on essential oils. I started reading some of the comments & had to stop. It was like watching bees on honey. Hungry bees. Desperate bees. Fighting bees.

Two things that had the biggest impact on me-

1. I never want to be like that.
2. It shouldn’t be like that.

I don’t have a problem with network marketing if it’s the right company with a good structure. I actually like the idea if it’s legit. I didn’t know an awful lot about it before but I’ve learned more over the past 5 years. Now I notice it. The online interaction & promoting catches my eye. Ha, occasionally it makes me close my eyes!

My heart gets heavy when I watch some people in network marketing. There really are genuine people loving their product, sticking with it for years & years sharing what they love. I LIKE THAT. Experienced product users that get positive results guiding & teaching interested people is a good thing. The hard part is that’s not what you always see.

It’s easy to spot the get rich quick salespeople. I’m totally OK with sales if that’s what you’re gifted at & passionate about. Integrity sales. I’m not OK with the number chasers, in store or out. The ones who plow over people, including their friends & family just to achieve a certain dollar amount.

I’ve had some first hand blubbers that were painful but also learning times. I didn’t start using essential oils to start a business. I started because I was knee deep in the middle of tragedy & grief. I was cautious & guarded when I first shared because it was a very personal, painful & private time. The Lord helped walked me through sharing in hopes of helping someone else that needed it. That’s a whole story in itself.

A “business” grew from that sharing. I’m glad I was vulnerable. I’m glad I pushed past the fear.

I’ll be honest, I’ve made a lot of mistakes with my oil group. There is no cookie cutter way that works. There’s helpful ideas but not one way only. God created us all different. We all have different life experiences. I’ve read books & tried methods that claim success but don’t deliver concrete results. I’ve seen people come & go. I’ve watched people find hope & healing. I’ve seen people not realize that who they sign up under is their support system- their purchases will always financially help that person & they had no idea. I’ve had people use me for information & join another oil group. I’ve spent hours online answering questions & helping only to watch those same people sign up with someone who had a great online giveaway. I’ve had people let fear over take them & decide oils aren’t safe. I’ve put my family to the side to tend to interested people online who were never really interested at all. I’ve had people leave my oil group with promises of big business building opportunities in other groups. I’ve poured myself out until my tank was depleted. I’ve prepared classes & had no one show up. I’ve had people who love the products decide to build a business & watch as they use less & order less because they changed their mentality even though they were getting results. I’ve learned I can’t own others health. I’ve not been supportive enough in some areas & enabled too much in others. I’ve discovered balance & time management are priceless. I could list page after page of things I’ve learned & mistakes I’ve made. I’m not trying to plant a seed of discouragement in this jumbo paragraph. Hang on for a minute & we’ll come back to this.

I’ve seen tears. I’ve had some special conversations. I’ve watched hope being renewed. I’ve seen excitement. I’ve witnessed amazing results. I’ve seen people supporting each other when they need help. I’ve had full classes that have inspired me immensely. I’ve meet some of the best people ever!

I may never be blessed with a big oil group. I may never figure out how to reach people online. I may never be relatable enough for everyone. I can’t force God’s hand & demand anything. What I can do is be honest. I can share where I’ve been, what I do & what I hope for. I can be real.

I can encourage you not to give up. I’m not giving up either. I can challenge you to make one change at a time. I’m still in that process too. It’s a lifestyle for me. It’s not a fix – all – magic – one – drop miracle. It’s one of the products I use for support. I have for years & I plan on sticking with it. I don’t have all the answers but by golly, I have hope.

I mentioned we’d come back to that big paragraph & here we are.  The biggest thing I’m discovering in all of this is that God might be using my business to grow my character, not my bank account. Maybe, just maybe, God’s plan isn’t a successful business by worldly standards as much as it’s about character building by biblical standards. 

I’ll keep using all these oils & products because I love them. A blast from the past side note…I was a newer oil user & I was invited to an oil conference (which I found out was more like a health conference & I learned tons). I heard a saying that went something like this, “What if? What if?” She had my attention pretty much because of her sincere tone. “What if this works? What do you have to lose?”  She was right. I had already lost so much. A spark of hope lit up that day. A certain kind of hope. Hope for a purpose for the pain.

Listen, I don’t know where you are in life. I don’t know all that you’ve been through but I do know that I would love to have you join me. You can check out my website at https://www.rootsofhealingyl.com/ I’m a regular ole gal who loves Jesus with all her heart. I know the Lord has a plan for my life & I do my best to not get in the way. I’m learning new things all the time. Life is hard & we need to stick together. The roads we travel are not meant to be traveled in isolation. Isolation doesn’t guarantee pain free.

Just so you know, I’m not one of those angry bees I was talking about. That’s not me. There’s no hope in that for me. I always come back to hope. There are so many ways to describe it. A certain kind of hope that consumes me is the hope that’s found only in the Savior. I pray you have that same hope.

Everything is for Him & through Him. He provides all at the exact times needed. ❤️ 1 Peter 4:10-11

Grateful for Him Always,

Tracy