Will you choose to be an olive tree?

"But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever."
                                                       Psalm 52:8 (NKJV)

This was the verse I received today. At first I didn't get it. But as I reread it again and again it started to work its magic over me.

I decided to take a little time and find out what was so special about an olive tree, that God would use that tree as a comparison for a life.

The strengths of an Olive Tree:
- can live up to 500 years
- can survive harsh climates
- has a sturdy root system that protects the tree from drought, fire, etc.
- has the ability to regenerate even after the tree trunk is destroyed
- "Full of vitality and with prospects of many productive years"

Okay, I want to be an olive tree.

I want to be that person that remains strong through it all. That, even though my leaves and branches, and even my trunk, take a beating, I stand strong. I am productive. I endure.

I started to wonder what can destroy an olive tree. What am I up against?

The weaknesses of an Olive Tree:
- it is not invincible
- use of infected tools and bad watering practices can kill it over time

The destruction of this tree would probably be subtle and slow. So slow that it wouldn't see it coming. Like a frog boiled slowly, so slowly, to death.

And that made me think about myself; my mind and body. If I view myself as an olive tree, what are my watering practices? What tools do I use to prune myself? Are my tools infected? Where does the water come from? What am I allowing to filter into my mind and soul? Do I get my resources from the world or from God?

What is my root system like? Does it run deep and wide? Will it help me withstand the battles of this world?

If I am an olive tree, how do I stay healthy? How do I endure?

Hmm.

I reread the verse again. Personalized it for me.

"But Krista is like a green olive tree in the house of God; Krista trusts in the mercy of God forever and ever."

And then I saw it.

The answer. The subtle (or maybe not so subtle?) hint.

I will endure BECAUSE I trust in His mercy forever.

Forever.

No pause. No break. Forever.

So, in the midst of your circumstances today, whatever is happening; the grief, the stress, the heartbreak, the loneliness...whatever it is, choose to be an olive tree through it all.

Cry out to Him in your pain. Call out to Him; "Help me!" and He will come.

You can be an olive tree too.