The Love Tree: Journey to Everlasting

By Elise Abiel

Why should we trust God when life is not easy and is often unfair? Why would God allow so much chaos and conflict to continue in our world? These are the age-old questions of life.

The Love Tree drops clues to the mystery, as we each travel our life journey. Elise Abiel shares her tale of overcoming the unexpected to f

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abiel Books
• Release date: Jan 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798987370032

Elise Abiel

Elise Abiel is quite ordinary yet has experienced some extraordinary adversity and adventure. Facing tragedy as a young widow with small children and later surviving stage four cancer, she has sought the answers to the age-old questions of life. Her quest to know God has given her enduring hope. Elise earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington Bible College, where she also received the Christian Service Award upon graduating in her late forties. As a young woman, Elise worked in the design field and has an associate degree of applied science in mechanical design. Elise Abiel has lived in seven of the United States and has traveled to more than twenty countries. For short periods she has lived in Asia and South America as well, giving her a wide range of cultural perspective. Currently, she enjoys family, writes, and volunteers. Elise is a quiet problem solver with the heart of an advocate. Her desire to see others find God, live a purposeful life, and receive eternal life motivated her to tell her story, and a glimpse of God's, in The Love Tree.

Book preview

Prologue

A vision of the future, given a long time ago, tells of a huge tree with healing leaves. The tree is so big that it actually grows on both sides of a crystal-clear river. Its leaves are forever green, bearing fruit every month of the year. I’d always wondered what had become of the Tree of Life.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the Tree of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. —Revelation 22:1-3

There is an ancient story of hope, believed by many to be true. This story tells of people from every nation on earth living in a beautiful and diverse city. A new world, revealed after the storms of darkness rage. A place where love is in the air and in the hearts of the people. The curse of evil is gone.

Imagine this future day, a new morning rising, following the days when humanity was not sure the earth would survive. At the dawning of forever, light slowly glimmers above the dark edge of the horizon. The magnificent glow gradually becomes more vivid—a rainbow of glowing hues, deep and clear, as though looking through stained glass. Gardens of emerald greens and jewels of radiant color fill our vision—the earth anew. People from every nation and tribe known to earth, all finding refuge under the Tree of Life.

Long ago, under the great trees of shelter, the oaks of Abraham, the plan began to unfold. God would intervene, and an unlikely child would be born. Beautiful Sarah laughed on that day long ago under the great trees—not believing God’s promise to her and Abraham could still come true. Yet, it was true—she would have a child and a family tree would take root.

This ancient family tree still grows. It grows from a root vine—not just any vine, but the eternal one of truth that had gone through the roughest of weather, once even dying, yet rising again to life. The branches of the tree sprout slowly at first, but grow and blossom as the gardener tenderly cares for them. He cuts off the dead and prunes the living, until each branch sprouts others, and so on, and so on; full of life, the family tree grows. Each branch receives through another, all remaining steadfast to the vine of truth. Wind and storms and evil rage fiercely at times, but the hardships only make the tree grow stronger. Ultimately, each of the family will do what is right and is just, but it’s a great battle—a struggle that’s at the heart of all battles. Few people know the secret to love and justice, and even of those who are told, few believe until they experience the truth. Trusting through hardship, they finally find rest.

In the beginning the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was thought to have the finest fruit in the garden—juicy, delicious, and very tempting. The results of a conversation at that very tree is where the curse began. But the Tree of Life now has the most beautiful fruit, an amazing variety, far beyond compare. At the heart of each fruit is the common seed of true love.

God’s promise will come true—the curse of evil will end. This dawn of a new age will come, when evil no longer has power. The leaves from the Tree of Life will have healed the nations—people made anew in the presence of God’s amazing love.

The Tree of Life grows along the banks of the river of life, in a place of radiant light, all of which flows from God. Under its healing leaves, God’s family live happily together with him. A vision of a promise fulfilled: Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will be with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. It was told to the seer, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. (Revelation 21:3-5; Isaiah 25:6-8).

Many people think God is no more than a fable. After all, it has been a long time since this story was written and people are still dying. Evil still rages throughout our world. The curse still stands. Yet the wise know that much of the Book’s foretelling has come true. They’ve experienced God’s activity in their own lives. Fables and fairy tales have their purpose, but the true Book tells the epic story of God’s love for humankind. It assures us that there is a masterplan.

God’s story of love has had a profound effect on my story. And so, I write to share a few snapshots of both—flashes of the proof of love.

Chapter 1

Leaves of Hope

There’s a beautiful story to tell,

Yet, sorrow is part of the tale.

There’s a tree in the city of life.

There’s belonging for all who prevail.

Rays of beauty help lead our journey,

Though trouble is also a guide.

Leaves of healing marking the pathway,

To the place love forever abides.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. —John 16:33

Bobby, an idealistic teenager, spotted a truck full of Christmas trees in the snow-lined city streets. The fresh cut trees looked so green and hopeful—a truck full of joy! The sight was a seed that sprouted. Bobby could be a farmer. This boy from the city enrolled in Agricultural College and married his sweetheart Rena, whom he had met at the Community Chest Camp, though she was from the other side of the tracks. They found a small apartment that they could scarcely afford and eloped, for fear their families were too different to bring together.

Back at their apartment stood a lonely wedding cake with a bride and groom on top. Bobby’s mom had saved the figurine since the day her 7-year-old had pointed at it in the bakery’s display case. Of all the cakes at the bakery, that was the one he had wanted for his birthday. Now, his mother guessed that he had married. She left the wedding cake, a gesture to welcome the newlyweds home.

Two years later, Bobby sat on the icy deck of a ship heading off the coast of Alaska to Japan. The dream of a farm would have to wait. It was post–World War II, and to put the draft behind him, he had enlisted. How could he leave Rena to care for a farm alone if his number came up? She had begged him not to leave, but then resigned herself to his decision and moved back home, once again sharing a bed with her sister. Days, she worked as a phone operator, saving every penny with the hope of buying a farm.

Life in Japan was an adventure Bob would never forget. Yet, the lanky young man returned, never again to venture overseas. New England was his home. Bob and Rena bought a small dairy farm, one-hundred and seven hilly acres, with winding creeks and open fields, wooded along the half-mile gravel drive. The tired stone house was older than the country, but it had character, boasting huge hand cut beams and wide seasoned floorboards. The windowsills were so deep that you could sit in them to enjoy the warmth of the sun. Though they had little experience farming, Bob had his agriculture degree and a full-time job to pay the bills. That first day, they sat on the worn-out steps of the old front porch looking at each other.

What have we done!

I don’t know, Bob said, but we better get up and get to work.

Bob got up before dawn each day, milked the cows, commuted to work in the city, worked all day, traveled home, and milked the cows again. On the weekends, they worked on getting water and necessities into the old farmhouse. They grew grain and hay for the cows, and vegetables for food. Solving problem after unexpected problem, they worked harder than they ever imagined.

Bob and Rena hoped for a family and were blessed with a rosy, blonde baby girl. They had a second child who was born a sweet chubby dark-haired girl. Their third, a lively freckled-faced child, was also a precious girl. All girls on a dairy farm! Sadly, one child, believed to be a boy, had been lost. They did the best they could with very little help. For a time, they took in two foster boys—troubled boys, who did not stay as long as everyone hoped. These boys dreams had been shattered at a young age, or they would not have come to stay at all.

Water was a problem those first years. On a rainy day it was dripping from the ceiling, though the house had no indoor pipes. A dilapidated outhouse was still called into service. Water needed to be pumped from the creek and treated until a well could be drilled. Improvements took money that they didn’t have.

Rena looked for work that she could manage from home, as they had just one car, children, and so much to do! Then, her mother began losing strength at an alarming rate and it was discovered that she had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Everything else took a back seat. Rena brought her to the farmhouse for a time, renting a mechanical lift to help move her. In later years Rena helped care for her sister. Both died of the cruel, debilitating disease.

Eventually, the dairy cows had to be sold because small-scale farming was dying. Later, their treasured historic Dutch barn burned down. Bob suspected it may have been arson, set just for the thrill of the fire. He had loved that big old barn and missed it standing proudly at the end of the driveway.

Thankfully, the historic house (c. 1735) had been saved. They lived many more years in their home in the hidden acres. At sixty-nine Rena died suddenly and at eighty-two Bob became ill. The time had come for him to leave. Bob had poured his life into his dream. Together, they had provided their family with a wonderful life in a scenic setting. It was a sad moment on a sad day, when Bob stood at the car door with tears in his eyes looking out at the rolling hills and their beloved farmhouse for the last time.

"Goodbye, old farm. You have been good to me; I hope I have been good to you."

Despite everything, he had loved his life on the old farm—their farm and his life’s dream!

These were my parents, and I was the first-born girl, the first year at the farm.

We all grow up, bright-eyed boys and girls, with all kinds of dreams for the future.