Marjoram

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
~Psalm 51:7~

Sweet marjoram…is more than oregano’s understudy.
~Su-Jit Lin~

Marjoram, a magnet for bees, butterflies and insects, is also a culinary delight in the kitchen. Considered to be a wild cousin of oregano, marjoram truly takes center stage with panache in sausages and splashes such as Herbs de Provence, pairing well with sage recipes for anything roasted, such as roasted root vegetables. Add in dried marjoram to a meatball recipe or add in fresh marjoram before serving up a sauce, stew or salad. It takes the lead role in za’atar, a mixed Mediterranean and Arabic spice that uses its stage name interchangeably with hyssop. In biblical times, it was used as a disinfectant for purification and sacrifices.

Going under names as sweet marjoram or knotted marjoram, it has long been considered a symbol of happiness to the Greeks and is prized in Mediterranean cuisine. It is “knotted” due to the rounded, clustered flowers.

When I am feeling emotionally knotted up, I certainly don’t equate myself to a feeling of happiness. I do, however, need to take time to unknot my feelings and allow the Lord to bring me into alignment with His Kingdom perspective. I can get down on myself for finding myself in an emotional cul de sac in the first place, but I’m reminded of God’s promises that He uses those clustered feelings, too.

“As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says,
‘Do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it,’
so I will do for my servant’s sake”
~Isaiah 65:8 KJV~

How this speaks to me is that He can bring my knotted-up circumstances into alignment as I keep my eyes fixed on Him. He can take where I am in the trials and position me for the “next thing.” God can still bring blessing out of less-than-ideal situations and frustrations, and He wants to position us to be a blessing in the midst of them.

How, exactly, do we “position” ourselves? How do we get from Point A to Point B in a healthy way?

In my first year of teaching, I had a small classroom with students of special needs. One student, in particular, came with a “RAD” label attached to her. “Reactive Attachment Disorder” exists in children who haven’t formed a healthy emotional bond with their parental figure due to emotional neglect. One consequence of this is they simply don’t know how to manage their emotions. When my student would emotionally escalate, the prescribed antidote was to cradle her and rock her back and forth, helping her feel “contained” within my arms.

Sil Reynolds shares this remedy, as well, and encourages us to use trials as opportunities for growth, in both ourself and others around us. “Don’t worry…you will learn from it and know next time. That’s the way you strengthen your superpower of intuition, by practicing it” and being contained by a healthy mindset (Mothering and Daughtering). We encounter the trial, look at it as an opportunity to model healthy conflict, and nurture the skills of listening, boundary setting, mirroring, and containing, allowing the tensions to de-escalate and come into alignment with Holy Spirit.

This is the wonderful thing about knowing God and His kingdom perspectives:  we can react differently to chaos, we can extend grace to those around us and who are in process, as well, we can model how to grieve with hope (1 Thess. 4:13-14).

Stuffed Peppers

Inspired by a Za’atar recipe, I tossed these seasonings together with the sautéed beef and onion, and then some! Za’atar is a mix that you can keep in arm’s reach when you need to season your circumstances with His peace and wisdom for those tangled-up times.

1 lb. Beef
1 onion
3 tsp. Fresh garlic
2 T. Oregano
2 T. Lemon juice
3 T. Sesame seeds
1 T. Marjoram
1 T. Thyme
1 t. Dried Basil
1 t. Sea salt
1 t. Sweet paprika
3 T. Dried parsley
1 c. Cooked lentils
½ c. Parmesan
1 c. Shredded mozzarella

Mix ingredients and stuff 7-9 peppers, placing in 9×13 pan. Sprinkle mozzarella at the top of each pepper. Cover 9×13 pan with aluminum foil, and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Use any leftover meat sauce for spaghetti sauce and serve with pasta.