Olive Leaves: A Sign of Hope

"After seven days Noah again sent out the dove from the boat, and that evening it came back to him with a fresh olive leaf in its mouth." Genesis 8:10-11.

That verse was the focus of my devotion a couple of days ago. The devotion stuck with me so much that I wanted to share it with my you.

An olive leaf. A simple olive leaf was a symbol of hope to Noah and his family after the flood. It was hope that they were going to get off the boat soon! Hope to them was the olive leaf-evidence of dry land after the flood....

Don't we love the olive leaves of life? "We'll get through this together?" "It appears that the cancer may be in remission?"

What's more, don't we love the "doves" that bring those olive leaves?

I wrote in my journal that day:

"Olive leaves-thank you Lord for the olive leaves you present to me each day. Each day is a new beginning, an olive leaf. Help me to recognize the olive leaves that are presented to me each day. Thank you for new beginnings. Amen."

I thought is was so timely that I had blogged about the New Year, reading Beth Moore's blog about each day is a new beginning and that evening when I had my quiet time, was presented with the olive leaf. A symbol of hope! A symbol of new beginnings!

Thank you Lord for the olive leaf! I love olive leaves. And I love those who give them to me!