One Thing: Easter Focus

 This Easter, we’re keeping it simple. Instead of adding more, we’re focusing on one thing: Gethsemane, the oil press. As we reflect on what happened there, we consider how pressure in our own lives may be helping our roots grow deeper in Christ. 

For more Easter ideas, listen to Season 1, episode 2: How to make Easter more Christ-Centered

The Olive

Transcript

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Transcript

Candice: Welcome to Sisters Latter-day Voices. I’m Candice—

Clare: And I’m Clare. So last year around this time, we did an Easter episode where we talked about adding meaningful things to our Easter season. We explored traditions and even talked about how other religions celebrate. I loved that episode — and I still do. I’m definitely going to link it because you should go re-listen to it for this upcoming Easter.

But this year feels a little different for me.

Instead of adding more, I’ve wanted to keep it simple. I’ve been asking myself, what is one thing I really want to focus on this Easter season?

And I keep coming back to Gethsemane. Not just what happened there — but where it happened.

The word Gethsemane means “oil press.” So it wasn’t just a quiet garden. It was a place where olives were crushed under heavy stone… and when that happened, oil came out.

I’ve learned that olives don’t release oil until they’re pressed. You can shake them from the tree. You can rinse the fruit. But the oil — the good stuff — only comes when there’s weight. When there’s pressure.

And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Savior chose Gethsemane — a place literally called the Oil Press. He stepped into a place that symbolized pressure. And from that pressing came healing for all of us.

I won’t go into specifics, but this last year has felt like that for me. I’ve felt pressed. Squeezed. There have been difficult things I didn’t expect. And throughout the year, I just kept praying, “Okay, I’m done. I need this to go away.” It wasn’t just one thing — it felt like multiple things stacked on top of each other. I was tapped out. I felt like I couldn’t handle one more thing.

Sometimes it felt unbeatable. Like it was just too much.

But looking back, I don’t think God was trying to destroy me. I think He was refining me.

And that made me start thinking about olive trees.

Candice, have you ever really looked closely at what an olive tree looks like?

Candice: I’ve seen pictures from when Mom and Dad went to Jerusalem, but I haven’t really studied them. They’re kind of… gnarly.

Clare: They are! When Mom and Dad went to Jerusalem, they brought us each a nativity made out of olive wood — and the wood itself is beautiful. It’s unique. But the tree? It has such a distinct look.

It’s not what you’d call traditionally pretty. When I think of a delicate, beautiful tree, I think of cherry blossom trees in Japan — soft, pink, symmetrical. Olive trees are the opposite. Their trunks are twisted and gnarled. They look weathered. Scarred. Like they’ve been through something.

And arborists say something interesting about trees: trees actually need wind.

When a tree is exposed to wind, it pushes its roots deeper into the ground. The resistance strengthens it. Without pressure, roots stay shallow and close to the surface.

So when storms come, it’s actually what helps the tree grow stronger.

And I think that’s true spiritually too.

Maybe when we’re experiencing difficult things, when life feels heavy or pressing, our roots are being pushed deeper. Maybe we’re becoming more anchored — hopefully anchored in Christ.

It makes me think about the youth theme this year — Walk with Christ. When we’re rooting down deeper, we’re choosing to stay with Him. To follow Him. To become more like Him.

Sometimes I catch myself thinking, “Okay, I’m doing all the right things. I’m going to church. I’m trying to teach my kids. I’m going to the temple. I’m trying.” And part of me quietly hopes that if I’m doing all those things, life will just be easier.

But that’s unrealistic.

Storms are still going to come. Trials are still going to happen.

The difference is that deeper roots make us more stable when they do.

This life is refining. It’s shaping. And I definitely wouldn’t have asked for this kind of growth this past year. But I’m starting to realize that deeper roots aren’t a punishment.

They’re preparation.

Life is always going to have pressure. But when I remember why I’m doing the things I’m doing, I remember my identity. I remember that I’m a child of God. We all are. And we’re trying our best to return to Him.

So this Easter season, the one thing I want to focus on isn’t fixing everything. It’s not eliminating the storms.

It’s simply this: when I feel pressed, I’m going to turn toward Him.

I’m going to trust that something sacred can still come from the weight — even if I can’t see it yet.

Candice: That’s such a good reminder. I think we all need to hear that sometimes.

Clare: Yeah. We hope you know God loves you. Bye.