Turning Your Scars into Shade for Others
Turning Scars into Shade is the perseverance of faith through the testing to be proved, approved and improved in our readiness for the new place, position, and people we will serve.
"Your scars are someone else's signs of hope"
-- Unknown
Lessons from an Olive Tree
The olive tree and producing olive oil provides a good illustration of turning our scars into shade for others.
Pickin' Rakin', and Shakin'
To harvest olives, they can be picked one at a time. Or the limbs can be raked. Or a machine can shake the whole tree. This is just like our lives. We experience times when we have experienced pickin', rakin', and shakin' in our own lives.
Crushin' and Pressin'
Once the olives have been collected, they are crushed or pressed to get out the olive oil. Our lives may have been through that. We have produced something, but it was crushed and pressed down. It was another discouragement.
Testin'
The next step in producing olive oil is to test it for purity. If it does not pass the test for purity, heat is applied. If it does pass the test it is considered virgin or extra virgin cold pressed. In our lives, we go through testing. How pure is our response? Do we have to go through more?
The reason we go through the process of pickin' rakin', shakin' and crushin' and Pressin' and testin' is to prepare us for the new place, position, and people we will serve. We will serve people out of what we have been through.
Results
The results will be to provide shade to those who are going through the same storms and struggles as you have. Only you can relate to someone who is going through what you have been through. Only you can provide shade to someone who is experiencing scars that you have endured.
