Hunting for Olive Oil
Two hours had passed as I scrubbed, soaked, and scrubbed some more the sticky labels from the poetic looking olive oil jars standing near the window sill. Popping out the plastic pour spout stuck all snug in the rim was easier than anticipated. With a paring knife lodged between the plastic and the glass, it slithered right on out and into the trash.
I wasn’t sure why I decided to take on this project today, but as the three jars stood empty, I didn’t have the heart to toss them. The beauty of the green glass had caught my eye when first purchased, and now I wondered if they might be used as a vase come summer.
Truth is, each time my olive jars are emptied, the hunt begins anew for the next one from which the fruit within will pour. There are conditions that are to be met when buying another. The container must be of glass. The label will draw me in and its contents will be from one country rather than several. Perhaps I’ve watched “Letters to Juliet,” a movie filmed in Italy, one too many times, as it’s one poetic purchase as I seek out the cutest glass jar of olive oil to be had.
Plastic bottles are eliminated as I tap my way along the shelving of the grocery aisle making sure the sound heard is a clink rather than a thud. Call me persnickety, but it all adds up. It adds up to the fun within the recesses of my kitchen cupboards where it is stored and makes me feel like a genuine gourmet chef.
A couple of years ago, I bought one of those little glass bottles with a long metal spout on it to dribble all professional like over whatever needs a dash of oil. Thus, I can see even sooner, when a new bottle must be sought and bought as the contents are emptied right from the original to this secondary storehouse.
In fact, today I’m heading to the store and will begin the hunt. Then, after several shopping trips, I will make my choice. No license required, just creative fun in the store aisles from whence the hunt begins.
Proverbs 21:20 speaks. “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling…”
The first dwelling which had anything to do with olives was the Ark back in Genesis. It wasn’t just any symbol used to demonstrate there was dry land signaling it was safe to exit. It was an olive branch carried by a dove. It was a sacred symbol of hope that God was at work. Perhaps deep down, the symbolism of olive oil fills us with hope. It is a sign that we can be partakers of the blessings God desires to pour out. As He is our hope—and in Him our hope—we remain hopeful of the fruit which is to come through Him.
Jeremiah 11:16 sheds light. “The Lord once called you ‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit…’” And since we are like olive trees producing good fruit, it sounds to me like it might be okay if the containers of olive oil are also beautiful. It appears to be a reflection of the good fruit within.
As you purchase your jars of oil, may they be as beautiful. And, may that which you pour out bear good fruit. Amen.
Kathleen Kjolhaug
This article was first published in Theology in the Trenches, a column written by Kathleen Kjolhaug. Posted with permission. Read more articles on her blog, Theology in the Trenches.
