It’s Christmas Eve and billowing drifts of snow are racing across the frozen waters of Clear Lake. My brother, three sisters, and I are scrambling to get our best clothes on, just in time to pile into our slightly worn station wagon and head to midnight Mass.
As the youngest of five children, it was hard to pay attention through the entire Mass. But during the Christmas season, the one thing I never missed was when the priest read the story of the wise men giving gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ child! That mesmerized me as somehow, I knew they must have been great treasures.
Have you ever wondered why the wise men brought frankincense and myrrh for the baby Jesus? As a curious and highly enthusiastic child, I asked everyone. But no one could answer my question. So I grew up thinking it was just some nice fairytale…but I never stopped wondering.
Fast forward to thirty years later; I was a health and wellness coach giving a lecture on the benefits of walking and healthy eating at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. Afterward, the late D. Gary Young walked up to me, introduced himself, and told me he really enjoyed my lecture. After talking with him about health for a few minutes, he said, “Teri, would you like to come to my lecture?” I replied, “Sure. What are you speaking on today, sir?”
Imagine my shock when he said he was giving a talk on frankincense and myrrh and his conviction that they are the missing link to natural health today. With a pounding heart, I replied, “Yes, sir, I would love to come to your lecture.” Finally, I thought, I am going to solve the mystery that has been in my heart for all these years!
As Young started his talk, he pulled out his Bible and began to read verse after verse, from Genesis to Revelation, that referenced specific plant oils, now known as essential oils. He spoke about the third day of creation and how all of the trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers are God’s provision for our physical and emotional health. As I listened, the answer to my life-long mystery unfolded before my eyes: this “liquid gold,” these tiny drops of oil, were part of God’s great plan from the foundation of the world to keep His children healthy in body, soul, and spirit.
I had such a powerful reaction to this new knowledge that I was literally hanging on to my chair. Thankfully, no one was watching me. I thought, Teri, get a hold of yourself.
The only thing I knew about lavender oil was that several perfumes I had seen in Europe included it as an ingredient. (I had been blessed to live in Paris for two years.) So I thought Young had given it to me as a perfume. Being a very busy mother of two children with our third child on the way, I took my bottle of lavender oil and lovingly placed it in the front row of my pantry shelf, thinking I would learn more about it as soon as I had some free time.
Afterward, as I thanked Young for his astounding teaching, he placed something in my hand. “Here,” he said, “you may need this one day.” I thanked him profusely and made my departure, as he had many other people waiting to talk with him. When I opened my hand, there was a bottle of lavender essential oil.
On my very next trip to the bookstore, I went to the help desk and asked where I could find books on essential oils. The lady smiled kind of funny and said she had no idea what I was talking about, but she didn’t think they had any books in the store like that. From the look on her face, I think she was expecting me to pull out a crystal ball at any minute. I soon discovered that virtually no information was available on essential oils, nor was there any information about essential oils in biblical history.
I pondered what I had learned for months. While the mystery about frankincense and myrrh was finally solved for me, it was months before I discovered why I had been given the bottle of lavender oil that day.
This sparked my twenty-three-year quest to learn about essential oils, a quest that has taken me to the far corners of the world—to Oman, Croatia, France, the Philippines, Israel, and other countries.
My purpose in writing this book is to inspire you with the mystery, the romance, and the ageless intrigue of essential oils. My hope is that you experience the Father’s love as He continually lavishes His children with these exquisite essential oils and that this rich biblical history comes alive in your spirit. I also hope you will see how miraculous your body is and how it’s designed to heal itself when given proper nourishment and support.
Did you enjoy this blog post? Then you will love Teri Secrest’s book Essential Oils!