Bitter Herb

I have a friend, Mary, who has disparaged her name's meaning. "Bitter". She envisioned herself as a bitter old woman holding onto every offense ever committed or percieved against her. Which of course, is not true, but she still didn't like the connotations of the word "bitter". This card is my rebuttal to the traditional understanding that Mary = bitter.

If you remember the Passover story, God commanded the Israelites to sacrifice a perfect lamb and place its blood on the doorframes of their home using hyssop- a bitter herb. To this day, herbs are an integral part of the Passover celebration. I like to call my friend Mary "bitter", because I think she is the embodiment of that bitter herb used to paint Christ's blood over the doorposts of my life. As a Christian writer her thought- provoking, heart- searching words help me refocus on Christ, my Sacrificial Lamb. She is my hyssop. My bitter herb. - Erin