Olive Brave: What's in the name?

Olive Brave McClelland 



It was so fun asking God to reveal the identity of his daughter. He was the one that formed her and knit her together in her mothers womb (Psm 139). He knows who she is and her every move. We believe in a God that desires relationship with us and who speaks to us, so we just had to ask him who this daughter of HIS was. That is how we picked her name, based on the identity pieces that God revealed to us.

OLIVE


Psm 128: 1-4

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him.
You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessing and prosperity will be yours.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house,
your children will be like OLIVE shoots around your table.
Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.


As I read this Psm one day the word OLIVE jumped out at me. I believe and know that my husband is one who fears the Lord and because of his honor of God, I have become a fruitful vine and I believe that our children will also be blessed and that blessing is they will be like OLIVE shoots. But I did not know what OLIVE shoot were and how they were a blessing so I researched OLIVE trees during a time with God one morning! And it was soooooo sweet! I did not want to stop.

I learned that OLIVE trees are trees that can thrive in great heat and minimal water, they are virtually indestructible, and will live and produce fruit no matter what the conditions. OLIVE trees are a tree that can not be destroyed . . . if the tree is cut or burned down, new shoots will emerge from its roots.

As I praised God for OLIVE trees, the name OLIVE rested in my spirit as a identity piece of who this daughter of God is. As many of you know and walked through with me, I struggled with Candida about 3 years ago. During that time, my reproductive system, as well as many other systems in my body, were basically dead. I lost my period for over 9 months. And here 2 years later, OLIVE, comes from that virtually dead reproductive system. She is one that brought life in a place that was dead.


I shared with Dan the name and he asked that he just hold onto it for a little bit. It was a little later that God spoke to Dan about the name OLIVE but a completely different way! God spoke to him through the story of the flood. 

 Gen. 8:11 “When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked OLIVE leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.” 

Again, the world was dead and seemed like there was no hope, but an OLIVE tree emerged and the dove returned to Noah with an OLIVE branch, symbolizing hope of a new world and that the earth would be full of life again!

OLIVE is a bringer of hope, is full of life, brings life to dead places
 and will thrive in all circumstances! 


BRAVE

Throughout my pregnancy, we received many identity piece from God through our times of prayer for her as well as others praying for her. One piece that Dan continued to get over and over was that she was going to be one who is BOLD and FEARLESS. We kept this word as well as others and wanted for confirmation. It was not very long when others started to share that she would be BOLD and FEARLESS, using these same words.

As the pregnancy progressed, I recognized that I was overcoming many fears that have held me for years and I was becoming more BOLD and FEARLESS. I believe it was because of the life in my womb that I was stepping out in this way. As we were looking at names that mean courage or fearless or bold, nothing really stood out. Until a synonym popped up; BRAVE. Again, we held it for a while. Throughout the labor and birth, she was BRAVE and made mommy BRAVE too! 

She is one that is BRAVE and will bring BRAVERY to others around her.  


Just a few of the words spoken over Baby McClelland:

Precious, Spirit of Joy, Faith, Blessing, Promised One, Radiant, Know God (hearing his voice at a young age), Daughter of Nations (one that brings people together from different nations), Bringer of Peace, Bold and Fearless, Worshiper and Full of Life


Leaving the hospital and driving home! It was snowing!

 

She is so alert and attentive, making eye contact directly already! She is ready for ASL! Do you see the T and the I in the picture above? It was just how she was moving her hands but we know she will pick up sign in our community and Mommy and Daddy have been having signing time with her!


Olive loves posing when she is sleeping! Mommy decided to join in the pose this time! And mommy sleeps when Olive sleeps! When I breastfeed, Olive always crosses her legs! It is the cutest thing!



Olive loves Daddy! His presence calms her!

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