Sage

“Let my prayer be set before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
Psalm 141:2

     While I didn’t grow up in a church culture that burned incense as a ritual in prayer and worship, I have experimented with it as a household fragrance. After installing new carpet for a home we had put on the market, I intentionally took some dried sage leaves to burn, with the intention of helping counteract the “new carpet” smell.

My spirit must have been craving this hardy perennial that summer, as I had just purchased a sage plant only to discover that several had already reseeded themselves in my circle bed! Perhaps I was just feeling low on hardiness as I continued to rebound from the pandemic, an admirable quality that sage possesses. I hadn’t really been thinking about the fact that this very herb was used for protection “against the plague.” It was an unplanned purchase, as was my stopping in at the nursery. I felt inexplicably drawn in to the roadside charm of the storefront, which sprawled luxuriously over an herbaceous lot just as carelessly as my petunias clamber over the stone wall they were set in. I just knew my age-old sage plant had not survived the winter, so I purchased one. What I hadn’t remembered (I ought to breathe in more rosemary for remembrance, apparently) was that I had already replaced it; not only that, I discovered a small volunteer under my large rambling lavender plant! Hence, I became the proud parent of three healthy sage plants.

     Will this make me more sagacious in my own spiritual life? Is there symbolism in this? Even the number three represents wisdom, balance, and hope—an optimistic trinity. Perhaps it is wishful thinking, but I do earnestly hope I am imparting a greater amount of prudence and patience in my parenting, modeling maturity in moments when I’m feeling emotionally squeezed, and allowing the Father to truly heal over the heart scabs that I tend to pick at.

     We all need this healing herb imparted in our lives, lending us wisdom when we are tempted to rehearse our hurts and protection in the midst of events that can uproot us, lending us the longevity we long for as we navigate life’s circumstances.

Sagely Roasted Root Vegetables

3 lbs root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, beets, onion)
¼ c. Olive Oil
1 ½ tsp. Salt
¼ c. Honey
1 Tbsp. Rubbed sage

Peel and cut vegetables into 1-inch chunks. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and toss together in baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes at 425°. Drizzle honey and sprinkle sage over vegetables and stir. Roast longer, as needed.