Colic Grey Melon @colic-grey-melon - Tumblr Blog

Doctor I need a prescription for Irish farmer’s markets

“Have you ever stopped and thought about how strange the book of Hosea is? God comes to a prophet and tells him to marry a woman who will be unfaithful to him. Not that she might be unfaithful. Not that there was a chance things could go badly. God tells Hosea from the very beginning that she will leave, that she will chase after other lovers, and that she will break his heart. If I were Hosea, I think I would have spent a considerable amount of time asking if perhaps I had misunderstood the instructions. Maybe there was a bad connection. Maybe I should pray about it a little longer. Maybe somebody else was supposed to get this assignment. Maybe Jonah was available. Jonah always seemed to have strong opinions about God's plans. Yet Hosea obeys, marries Gomer, and eventually everything God said would happen does.

Gomer leaves. She is unfaithful. She pursues other lovers. She abandons the man who loved her. She does exactly what we would expect to end a marriage. And honestly, that is where most of us would expect the story to end. Because let's be real, most of us understand forgiveness right up until forgiveness becomes expensive. We understand grace right up until we are the ones paying for it. We like stories where the faithful person is rewarded, the unfaithful person faces consequences, and justice neatly wraps everything up with a bow. That is how we expect the story to go. But God's stories often go in directions that make absolutely no sense to us.

Instead of telling Hosea to move on, God tells him to go get her back. Not because she deserves it. Not because she has earned another chance. Not because she suddenly realized her mistakes and came running home. God tells Hosea to pursue the woman who broke his heart and love her anyway. Then comes one of the most shocking moments in all of Scripture. Hosea 3:2 says, "So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley" (ESV). Stop and think about that for a moment. Imagine having to buy back your own wife. Imagine standing there while the woman you love is valued so little by the world that she can be purchased like property. Imagine paying the price anyway. Imagine looking at someone who has hurt you, betrayed you, and abandoned you and deciding they are still worth redeeming.

The reason this story hits so hard is because it is not really about Hosea and Gomer. It is about God. And it is about us. We are Gomer. We are the unfaithful wife. We are the ones who wander away. We are the ones who chase after things that promise satisfaction but never deliver it. We are the ones who look to money, success, comfort, approval, relationships, control, and a thousand other things hoping they will fill a place in our hearts that was designed for God alone. We may not carve golden statues and bow down to them, but we are remarkably creative when it comes to making idols. The details may look different today, but the human heart has not changed very much.

Yet throughout all of it, God remains faithful. Israel wandered, and God remained faithful. Israel forgot Him, and God remained faithful. Israel chased after other gods, and God remained faithful. Generation after generation, failure after failure, rebellion after rebellion, God continued pursuing His people. The entire book of Hosea is a picture of a God who refuses to stop loving people who continually give Him reasons to walk away. That kind of love does not make much sense to us because it is far bigger than anything we naturally understand.

And that is why Hosea points so clearly to Jesus. Because ultimately God did not just tell Hosea to pay a price. God paid the price Himself. The cost was not silver. The cost was not barley. The cost was the cross. Jesus looked at a world full of spiritual Gomers, a world full of people who had wandered, rebelled, sinned, and turned away from God, and He chose to redeem us anyway. Romans 5:8 says, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (ESV). Not after we cleaned ourselves up. Not after we became faithful. Not after we finally got our act together. While we were still sinners.

Through His death on the cross, Jesus paid for our sins. Through His resurrection, He conquered death itself. The story does not end with a sacrifice. The story ends with victory. Three days after the cross, the tomb was empty. The debt was paid. Death was defeated. The power of sin was broken. The door was opened for us to be reconciled to God. The same God who pursued Israel. The same God who pursued Gomer through Hosea. The same God who pursues us today.

That is why Hosea is one of the most beautiful love stories in the Bible. Not because it is romantic. Honestly, it is messy. It is painful. It is heartbreaking. At times it is uncomfortable to read because it forces us to confront who we really are. But it is beautiful because it reveals the relentless love of God. A God who keeps pursuing people who keep running. A God who keeps calling people home. A God who refuses to give up on those He loves. A God who looked at a world full of broken, wandering, unfaithful people and said, "They're worth redeeming," and then proved it by going to the cross.

The amazing thing about Hosea is not that Gomer was worth buying back. The amazing thing is that Hosea loved her enough to do it. The amazing thing about the Gospel is not that we were worth saving. The amazing thing is that Jesus loved us enough to save us anyway. And if you ever wonder how much God loves you, remember that He did not merely say it. He demonstrated it. He pursued you, paid the price for you through His death and resurrection, and made a way for you to come home.”

Awesome post from “Farmer Girl” (FB) Amen! 🙏🕊️🙌

lacetulle

Rami Kadi | L'éventail

walkswithmyfather

“Peter was a fisherman.

That matters when we read this story.

The sea was not unfamiliar to him. Waves, wind, boats, nets, dark nights, and rough water were part of his world. He knew what storms could do. He knew when the wind was dangerous. He knew what water could and could not hold.

But this night was different.

The disciples were in a boat, battered by waves because the wind was against them. In the darkest part of the night, Jesus came toward them—walking on the water.

They were terrified.

But Jesus immediately said, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.”

Then Peter answered with bold faith,

“Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

Jesus gave one word, “Come.”

And Peter stepped out of the boat.

We often focus on the fact that Peter sank.

But before he sank, he walked.

He stepped onto water. He moved toward Jesus. He did what no fishing skill, human strength, or personal experience could make possible.

This was not about technique.

It was about trust.

Peter walked while his eyes were on Jesus.

But when he saw the wind, he became afraid and began to sink.

The storm had already been there when he stepped out. The wind did not suddenly appear. The waves did not become real only after Peter left the boat.

What changed was his focus.

What he saw began to speak louder than the One who had called him.

That is what fear often does.

It takes something real, the pressure, the uncertainty, the bad report, the financial burden, the relationship problem, the future you cannot control, and makes it feel greater than the voice of Christ.

But when Peter began to sink, he prayed one of the shortest and most honest prayers in Scripture, “Lord, save me.”

And Matthew says, “Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him.”

Immediately.

Jesus did not wait for Peter to sink deeper.

He did not shame him first.

He did not say, “You should have known better.”

He reached out and caught him.

This passage teaches us two things,

Jesus is worthy of bold faith.

And Jesus is merciful when our faith becomes weak.

Maybe you are in a storm right now. You started with faith, but the wind has become loud. You are trying to obey God, but fear is telling you everything that could go wrong.

Do not pretend the storm is not there.

But do not let the storm become greater in your mind than the Savior who called you.

Faith does not mean there is no wind.

Faith means Jesus is greater than the wind.

And when you feel like you are sinking, pray Peter’s prayer, “Lord, save me.”

Because the hands of Jesus are stronger than the pull of the waves.”

From: “Undaunted Disciple” (FB)

Amen! 🙏

fattributes

Russian Okróshka

the-messhall

Okroshka — Russian Cold Soup 🧊

rosieandthemoon

"The Dancer" by Amy Stauffer, 2012. {via}

lena-oleanderson

you're allowed to be held.

catchymemes

Notice at a shelter

vbkpoetry

My youngest has started writing. She’s on the spectrum and has always grabbed at arts door. Her drawings are unique and steeped with her own style. Her mom, who I met here like sixteen or seventeen years ago, sent me some of her poems last week.

I was blown away.

Then, this weekend, while she was sitting right next to me, she wrote this poem. I was blown away. In someways it feels like something I would write. She’s nine.

I’ll die knowing that my kids will take a piece of me with them, but also, they’ve given my life definition.