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Jehovah May Allow the Bite—But Not the Poison to Win a little lesson Paul shakes the viper from his hand into the fire, unharmed—Acts 28:3–5. Jehovah’s power protected him, not from the trial, but through it. When the viper latched onto Paul’s hand, the onlookers were sure he was doomed. But Paul simply shook it off—and suffered no harm. Jehovah didn’t stop the snake from biting. But He did prevent the venom from having any effect. That moment reminds us: Jehovah may allow hardship to strike—but He will never allow it to defeat us. Deliverance doesn’t always come before the trial. Sometimes it comes through it. So if you’re facing something painful, frightening, or unexpected, remember—Jehovah hasn’t lost sight of you. The bite may come… but the poison won’t win. Reference bt, Chapter 26, ¶19–20 👉 Read on JW.org

a Scriptural Consideration entry He sat alone on a stone wall just outside the city. The scabs on his back still ached from his latest flogging, but the deeper wounds were elsewhere—betrayal, slander, disappointment. Paul had poured himself out for these congregations, risked his life again and again, only to be questioned, misrepresented, even opposed by those he called brothers. Was this the reward for his sacrifice? And yet… he would write to them again. He would visit again. He would call them “beloved.” Paul’s life was not defined by the pain others caused him but by the forgiveness he continually chose to give. When Mark disappointed him, Paul didn’t wall off his heart forever. Years later, he would call Mark “useful to me for ministering.” (2 Tim. 4:11) When Peter acted out of fear, Paul corrected him, yes—but then continued serving shoulder to shoulder with him. Paul endured being misjudged, yet he wrote passionately about the unity of the body of Christ. (Rom. 12:4, 5) “Continue . . . forgiving one another freely.”—Col. 3:13 So what about us? We, too, are surrounded by imperfect people—some impulsive, some fearful, some stubborn or critical. At times, the wounds from a brother’s words may seem deeper than those from the world. What will help us endure with peace and joy? The same thing that helped Paul: love. Love that remembers the good. Love that believes change is possible. Love that keeps reaching out, keeps serving, keeps forgiving. In our congregations, this kind of love does not come naturally. It must be cultivated through prayer, humility, and meditating on Jehovah’s own patience with us. (Ps. 103:10-14) Jehovah sees it every time we choose to let go of a grievance, to respond gently, or to trust again. He sees—and he smiles. Continue forgiving one another freely. The words are not a suggestion. They are a call to imitate the One who forgives most freely of all. Jehovah will never stop forgiving you. Will you, then, stop forgiving your brother? Let the peace of the Christ truly rule in your heart again. w24.03 15 ¶4-5

A Glimpses of Wonder Entry Tucked away in quiet basements, tunnels, and repurposed barns, a silent crop is at work—multiplying by the millions, even without a single ray of sunlight. Mushrooms don’t grow like typical plants. In fact, they’re not plants at all. They’re fungi—an entirely different kingdom of life. And that difference changes everything. Unlike plants, mushrooms don’t perform photosynthesis. They don’t draw energy from the sun. Instead, they grow in dark, cool, humid spaces—spaces that most crops would find unwelcoming. And yet, in these unlikely places, mushrooms thrive. A single acre of mushroom-growing space can produce up to 1 million pounds of mushrooms per year. That astounding yield is made possible by something hidden just beneath the surface: mycelium—a vast network of threadlike fibers that spreads through soil, straw, wood chips, or even coffee grounds. But how do mushrooms turn waste into food? The answer lies in their extraordinary method of digestion. Mycelium secretes powerful enzymes into the surrounding material—breaking down complex plant fibers like cellulose and lignin into simpler compounds it can absorb. This process happens outside the organism’s body. In a sense, mushrooms digest their surroundings first, then absorb the results. What was once agricultural waste becomes rich, edible nutrition. It’s a recycling miracle, built into their design. And while they don’t need light to grow, that doesn’t mean they avoid it altogether. Some species benefit from soft, indirect light to help trigger the fruiting process. What they do require is moisture—lots of it. With a preference for high humidity and mild temperatures, mushrooms flourish best in environments that are damp, cool, and rich in oxygen. Even in the darkest corners of the world, mushrooms go to work—quietly breaking down the old and building something new. Even when there’s no sunlight, Jehovah’s brilliance still shines. The line “They grow in the dark” holds a quiet irony—because what mushrooms produce is a radiant reminder of design, not accident. Jehovah’s wisdom doesn’t need the spotlight to astonish. It works in silence, in shadows, and in stillness—transforming waste into nourishment, and darkness into life. What he builds in hidden places is no less full of purpose, beauty, and power.

a little lesson The test isn’t what we have, but how we view what we have—and what we prioritize. Jehovah provided for Israel in dramatic fashion—raining down quail until the camp was overflowing. But the miracle revealed more than just divine generosity. It exposed hearts. Some gathered obsessively, driven by selfish craving. The issue wasn’t the meat itself. It was the mindset. That lesson still holds. Greed isn’t exclusive to those with wealth. It can grip the poor too—those who are constantly longing, constantly comparing, constantly discontent. Jehovah didn’t condemn the act of collecting quail; He condemned the spirit behind it. (Num. 11:31–34) Whether our fridge is full or our bank account is bare, greed whispers the same lie: “You don’t have enough. You need more.” But Jesus flips that script. He urges us to store up treasures in heaven—to measure wealth by closeness to God, not by abundance of things. (Matt. 6:19–20; Luke 16:9) Greed is never just about money. It’s about trust. Do we trust Jehovah to give what we truly need? Reference The Watchtower (Study Edition), March 2025, Article 13, ¶8 👉 Read on JW.org

A Scriptural Consideration entry The child’s blanket stayed folded. The tent remained quiet. Sarah no longer laughed—not even bitterly. Years slipped by, each one a reminder that the promise had not yet come. But still, Abraham believed. He didn’t believe because things made sense. He believed because he knew Jehovah. By the time Isaac was born, Abraham was a hundred years old. His body was “already as good as dead,” and Sarah’s womb long past childbearing. Yet, as the apostle Paul wrote, “He did not waver in unbelief, but became powerful by his faith, giving God glory.” (Romans 4:20) This was not wishful thinking. It was confidence in Jehovah’s timing, Jehovah’s power, and Jehovah’s love. So what about us? We wait too. Some wait for justice. Some for peace. Some for a child who hasn’t come home. Others wait in the shadow of chronic illness or stand quietly in grief. We may wonder if the silence means the answer won’t come. But each return to our ministry, each quiet act of endurance, each prayer uttered without immediate relief—all of it becomes a living testimony: our faith is not in what we see. It is in who we know. Earlier in that same passage, Paul describes Jehovah as “the One who makes the dead alive and calls the things that are not as though they are.” (Romans 4:17) Faith like that doesn’t ignore the ache. It acknowledges it—and keeps going anyway. Abraham’s story was written for us. Not to make the wait easier, but to make it clearer. Jehovah sees. Jehovah hears. And Jehovah never forgets a promise. Even when your world is quiet, even when there’s no outward sign—walk on. The One who calls things into being is still speaking. —w12 3/15 p. 11 ¶13

a Scriptural Consideration entry It wasn’t just that David sinned. It was that he knew it, felt it, and begged Jehovah for help to change. “Stir within me a willingness to obey you,” he pleaded—because obedience didn’t always come naturally. (Ps. 51:12) For a man who loved Jehovah deeply, this was a striking admission. And yet, how refreshing. Because if someone like David—a man after Jehovah’s own heart—had to pray for the desire to obey, what does that say about us? It says we’re not broken for struggling. We’re human. The verse from James reminds us that godly wisdom produces an attitude of humility and readiness to yield. But yielding isn’t weakness. Obedience, especially in a rebellious world, takes strength. It means denying the cravings of the flesh, resisting Satan’s seductive whispers, and tuning out the world’s sneering disdain for submission. (2 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 2:2) “The wisdom from above is . . . ready to obey.” —James 3:17 Even Jesus “learned obedience” through the things he suffered. (Heb. 5:8) So it’s not surprising that we sometimes wrestle with it too—whether it’s a personal counsel we didn’t want to hear, a direction from the elders that touches a sore spot, or an inner war between pride and peace. So what about us? When Jehovah’s voice is clear—through his Word, his organization, or our conscience—do we want to obey? Or do we feel the tug to resist, justify, delay? When we struggle, we can pray like David did. “Stir within me a willingness…” Because obedience from the heart is what Jehovah treasures most. (Rom. 6:17) It is the fruit of wisdom from above. “The wisdom from above is . . . ready to obey.” So if we’re struggling, we’re still in the fight—and Jehovah sees our effort. He will bless every sincere prayer, every honest attempt, every faithful step. w23.10 6 ¶1

— a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — Have you ever hit your “funny bone”? If so, you know it’s anything but funny. That sudden jolt of tingling pain shoots down your arm, stopping you mid-sentence and stealing your breath away—like some invisible prankster jabbed a lightning rod into your elbow. But here’s the twist: it’s not even a bone. The so-called funny bone is actually the ulnar nerve, and it runs just under the skin at your elbow, right near the humerus—the upper arm bone. That’s where the pun comes in: humerus, humorous. A clever wordplay. But for anyone who’s knocked it against a table edge or car door, it’s a punchline that doesn’t land. Still, think about what’s happening beneath the surface. That little nerve runs from your neck, past your elbow, all the way into your hand—serving your ring and pinky fingers. Its exposure at the elbow makes it vulnerable… but also a marvel. And that zap you feel when you bump it? That’s not electricity—it’s your ulnar nerve being compressed. Unlike most nerves that are cushioned deep inside your body, the ulnar nerve passes through a shallow groove near your elbow, just under the skin. So when it gets struck or pinched, your brain interprets the sudden pressure as a burst of intense sensation—sometimes sharp, sometimes tingling, often unpleasant. It feels like electricity, but it’s really your nervous system doing its job… loudly. Like the others, the ulnar nerve carries signals that let us feel touch, temperature, and texture, especially in the pinky and part of the ring finger. These nerves also work together in a deeper way—contributing to our sense of proprioception, the awareness of where our body parts are without needing to see them. That built-in awareness—being able to find our hand in the dark or adjust our grip without thinking—speaks to a design that is quiet, intelligent, and purposeful. While the ulnar nerve runs along the inside of the arm and controls much of the pinky and ring fingers, it’s not working alone. Two other major nerves help complete the hand’s coordination. The median nerve travels down the center of the forearm and passes through the carpal tunnel in the wrist—a narrow passage formed by bones and ligaments—before reaching the thumb, index, middle, and part of the ring finger on the palm side. The radial nerve runs along the back of the arm, branching out to extend the wrist and fingers and provide sensation to the back of the hand. But among the three, it’s the ulnar nerve—unprotected and placed so near the surface—that demands our attention most dramatically. It reminds us, often with a jolt, just how finely tuned our body’s design really is. So while all three nerves deserve credit, it’s the ulnar nerve, tucked just beneath the skin and easily overlooked, that stands out. When it’s not playing tricks at the elbow, it’s doing something remarkable: connecting us to the world with grace and precision. Not humorous—but humbling. A small voice in the body that quietly reveals Jehovah’s thoughtful craftsmanship. The apostle Paul once wrote that “God composed the body” in a way that gives even our less glamorous parts special care. (1 Corinthians 12:24) We humans might find a play on words between humerus and humorous, but what truly deserves our awe is the craftsmanship behind it all. The structure of the arm, the path of the ulnar nerve, and the body’s ability to send warning signals—these weren’t built for laughs. They were built for life. And every detail points to a Creator whose care runs deeper than even our nerves.

A Scriptural Consideration Entry “Do not go beyond the things that are written.“—1 Corinthians 4:6 (NWT) The phone buzzed again. Another article popped up. Another video claiming to know “what’s really going on.” It would’ve been easy to click—just for a second—to see if there was something we might be missing. It’s everywhere now. Endless headlines. Endless “urgent” warnings. But somewhere under all the noise, there’s that quiet reminder from Jehovah’s Word: “Do not go beyond the things that are written.” Truth be told, it’s nothing new. In the first century, the pressure to know “more” was already there. Smart-sounding philosophies. Influential teachers twisting old traditions, mixing them with bits and pieces of truth, and making it sound almost right. (Colossians 2:8) But almost right isn’t right. It was pulling hearts away from Jehovah, the only true Source of wisdom and peace. Today, Satan’s gotten louder. Flashier. He’s not standing in a marketplace or behind a scroll. Now it’s our screens, our feeds, our daily conversations. Conspiracies, rumors, theories that grab your emotions and won’t let go if you’re not careful. It’s all designed to make people feel uncertain, suspicious, divided. Distracted from where real hope comes from. So what about us? How do we stay safe when it feels like everyone else is chasing after something new? We stay planted—right where Jehovah put us. (Proverbs 3:5-7) We don’t pile on extra rules. We don’t pressure others about their personal decisions. We don’t run after some “special” knowledge outside of what Jehovah has already given. He’s already told us everything we need—not everything we might want to know, but everything we need to endure and have peace. And honestly, that’s enough. It’s more than enough. When that pull for “more” starts creeping in—more certainty, more control, more secret information—we can stop, breathe, and hear it again: “Do not go beyond the things that are written.” (1 Corinthians 4:6) Jehovah isn’t holding anything good back from us. His hand is steady. His Word is strong. And His love still gathers close everyone who trusts Him enough to stay inside the shelter He built—with no need to look for “better” walls somewhere else. —Watchtower July 2023, pp. 16–17, ¶11-12

Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts that capture the natural compounds responsible for a plant's fragrance and flavor. In their natural environment, these oils serve as the plant's defense mechanisms, deterring herbivores, inhibiting microbial growth, and protecting against pathogens. They function as chemical weapons, repelling threats or even harming invaders. Yet, much like the scriptural concept of turning weapons into tools, humans have repurposed these compounds for therapeutic and practical use. However, just as a hammer can still smash a thumb, improper use of essential oils can lead to serious harm. Essential Oils Are Not Harmless Despite their natural origins, essential oils are powerful chemical agents that require responsible handling. Their potency is evident in the fact that reputable companies maintain Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for these substances, much like those required for industrial chemicals. These documents outline potential hazards, safe handling guidelines, and first-aid measures. The very existence of SDS databases for essential oils is a key indicator that they must be treated with caution. Companies such as NOW® Solutions, WFMED, and Zenith Supplies provide publicly accessible SDS sheets for their products, underscoring the necessity of proper education before using essential oils. Furthermore, poison control centers actively track essential oil exposures, demonstrating that misuse can lead to medical emergencies. Recognizing the Risks of Essential Oils One of the most overlooked aspects of essential oil use is their potential for harm. Applying undiluted oils directly to the skin may result in burns, rashes, or long-term sensitization. To mitigate these effects, proper dilution with a carrier oil, such as coconut or jojoba oil, is essential. Similarly, some citrus-based essential oils can increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight, causing severe reactions when exposed to UV rays. Even inhalation, often assumed to be the safest method, can irritate the respiratory system, particularly in individuals with asthma or other lung conditions. And while ingestion is sometimes promoted, many essential oils are highly toxic if swallowed and should never be consumed without expert guidance. Safe and Informed Use is Essential Education is key to safe essential oil use. Before incorporating these substances into daily routines, individuals should take time to research their properties and potential risks. Not all essential oils are created equal, and their potency requires careful handling. Diluting oils properly before skin application, performing a patch test to check for allergic reactions, and seeking professional guidance when necessary can prevent unwanted effects. Additionally, consulting healthcare providers is especially important for those with existing health conditions, pregnant individuals, and anyone considering using essential oils on children. While essential oils can serve a beneficial role when used properly, they remain potent substances that must be treated with respect. The fact that they are cataloged alongside industrial chemicals in SDS databases and monitored by poison control centers is a stark reminder that improper use can lead to serious consequences. As with any powerful tool, education and caution are necessary to avoid harm. The Bible reminds us of a time when weapons will be repurposed for peaceful use: "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4, NWT). Likewise, while we may currently rely on chemical substances—whether from natural origins like essential oils or pharmaceuticals—to sustain our health, we look forward to a new system where such needs will no longer exist. In that time, perfect bodies will not require any form of supplementation, as Jehovah will provide complete health and well-being. Sources: "Essential Oils - Natural Products Not Necessarily Safe," July 2021 "Cytotoxicity of Lavender Oil and Its Major Components to Human Skin Cells," April 2019 "Essential Oils: More Harmful Than Helpful?" American Lung Association, May 2022 "Essential Oils: Are They Safe?" Kaiser Permanente, 2022 UCLA Center for the Study of Women, "The Essential Truths About Essential Oils," June 2018 NOW® Solutions SDS Database - nowfoods.ca WFMED SDS Database - wfmed.com Zenith Supplies SDS Database - zenithsupplies.com Poison Control Records on Essential Oils A Note from the Author: This blog is not intended to be your sole source of information on this topic. It is meant to serve as a starting point for education. Essential oils are powerful substances that require careful study and responsible use. If you plan to incorporate them into your routine, seek out additional research, consult reliable sources, and approach their use with an informed and cautious mindset.