Stirred by the Tree

Hi there! My name is Mara. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in April 2023. I also struggle with alopecia areata, vulvodynia, and endocrine pancreatic insufficiency. I have been married for over 20 years to a church pastor. I have two kids; my son is a university student living at home and my daughter is a high schooler. I also have a full time job. I started this blog in the hopes that my experiences and lessons God has taught me through life’s challenges will encourage others, including you!

As a girl, my friends would share the meaning behind their names; usually nice words like “princess” and “beautiful “. I found my name in a baby book and was dismayed to learn that Mara means “bitter”. It made me really hate my name. Later, when I became a Christian, I began to read the Bible and discovered that my name appears in two places. One is in the book of Ruth. When Naomi loses her husband, sons, and home, she tells Ruth, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20). The other is in Exodus 15. When the children of Israel are wandering in the desert, they come upon the pools of Mara and are angry to learn that they could not drink the water because it was bitter. God directs Moses to pick up a tree and cast it into the waters. When he does, the water is made sweet.

The cross of Christ is often referred to as “the tree”. The Bible tells us, “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 21:23). As Christ hung on the tree of Calvary, He became accursed as He took on our sins. Just as the waters of Mara were made sweet by the tree, we are made “sweet” when we make Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. I no longer hate my name, because it is a reminder to me of who I was in my old self, and how Christ has transformed me. I was once bitter, but now I have been stirred up by the cross and made sweet. I pray that I am able to quench your thirst as you search for encouragement and ideas on how to face your own troubles.