Barefoot Books- LadyD: We're Roaming in the Rainforest: A Barefoot Book

Olive Trees

“When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side, there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.” John 18: 1-2

One of my favorite authors, Lysa Terkeurst wrote a short blog post that greatly impacted my life. I read and re-read her words during a time in my life when I needed tremendous encouragement and a new perspective to endure difficult times. I would like to share her words with you now...

"The olive tree is such a picture of why our hearts must go through the crushing times.

The crushing times are necessary times.

First, in order to be fruitful, the olive tree has to have both the east wind and the west wind. The east wind is the dry hot wind from the desert. This is a harsh wind. So harsh that it can blow over green grass and make it completely wither in one day.

The west wind, on the other hand, comes from the Mediterranean. It brings rain and life.

The olive tree needs both of these winds to produce fruit — and so do we. We need both winds of hardship and relief to sweep across our lives if we are to be truly fruitful.

The crushing times are processing times.

Another thing to consider about the olive tree is how naturally bitter the olive is and what it must go through to be useful. If you were to pick an olive from the tree and try to eat it this month, its bitterness would make you sick.

For the olive to be edible, it has to go through a lengthy process that includes:
washing,
breaking,
soaking,
sometimes salting,
and waiting some more.

It is a lengthy process to be cured of bitterness and prepared for usefulness.

If we are to escape the natural bitterness of the human heart, we have to go through a long process as well … the process of being cured.

The crushing times are preservation times.

The final thing I want to consider about the olive is the best way to preserve it for the long run. It must be crushed in order to extract the oil. The same is true for us. The biblical way to be preserved is to be pressed. And being pressed can certainly feel like being crushed.

Crushing is the way of preservation for the olive. It’s also the way to get what’s most valuable, the oil, out of the olive. Keeping this perspective is how we can be troubled on every side yet not distressed … pressed to the point of being crushed but not crushed and destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8)

When the sorrowful winds of the east blow, I forget they are necessary.
When I’m being processed, I forget it’s for the sake of ridding me of bitterness.
And when I’m being crushed, I forget it’s for the sake of my preservation.

And so, He created the olive tree."

I hope you have been blessed by Lysa's words to keep going no matter how difficult life may seem at times!

One book that is in our home library is about trees. No, not the beautiful olive tree but an exciting rainforest!

We're Roaming in the Rainforest

Do you have a book about rainforests? Have a peek inside our Barefoot Book.

Rainforest Illustration: Barefoot Books-LadyD

What is the book is about?

Three children embark on a day-long trek through the rainforest, discovering all sorts of exotic creatures in their natural habitats. The charming, rhyming text highlights an adjective for each creature. The story is complemented by educational endnotes about the creatures in the story, and the peoples of the rainforest.