Lord knows I would very much rather live my life smooth and free. Free of stress, trials, and pain. Free to have my fill of all the pleasurable things–laughter, joy, great food, and even greater experiences.
But…
That’s not the way He built this system of life.
On the contrary, He’s so masterfully designed life that even the worst experiences are tailored to refine us and others if we follow the design of the Great Craftsman Himself.
After uncovering webs of lies and discovering some very disappointing things about a loved one, I’m finding myself nearing the mouth of the pit. And I know because I’m seeing the symptoms already: decreasing appetite, losing interest in doing things, wanting to retreat in isolation, and the spiraling what-if thoughts.
Thankfully, I still have the drive to pray and read the Bible and I selected the book of Hosea. I’m currently on my own personal track to read all the short books of the Bible.
Anyway, Hosea 1 cuts to the chaste and immediately gut punches without warning in verse 2.
“The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.”
I’ve read it before so I knew it was coming, but the jab was different this time.
…’take a wife of whoredoms’…but…why??!! Surely the God who created heaven and earth could communicate and demonstrate His intentions in infinite other ways.
After reading the commentaries, I was reminded of the following verse in Matthew 14:14
“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.”
This is where the rabbit hole begins, but stick with me…we’re going somewhere.
Diving deeper, I learned the Hebrew word that was translated to ‘compassion’ is the Hebrew word splagchnizomai which is better translated to mean that gut-wrenching or stomach-churning feeling one gets from strong emotions. That was the deep level of feeling Jesus experienced when He saw the people.
Then I thought, “What causes a gut-wrenching feeling?” (We’re taking a right turn down the rabbit hole now).
Well, multiple things, but what grabbed my attention is the physiologic explanation. The gut and brain are in constant communication. Many people have had past experiences that have been stored up in the part of the brain called the hippocampus. When certain things trigger these memories–such as a sudden argument, specific sensory experiences like a particular smell or seeing an image, etc.–the brain will “sound the alarm” that causes the gut to respond. There are other reasons, of course, but this is what I believe applies to Jesus’ experience.
Then a light bulb went off in my head.
Perhaps one of the key reasons God allows us to experience certain challenges or other less-than-desirable things is so that we can deeply connect with not only others who are going through the same thing we are currently or once did, but so that we can also bond with Him.
In Hosea 1, we read of the prophet’s life-altering and, especially in those times a likely extremely challenging, state of having to marry a prostitute. Yet, we see God talking about the harlotry He is experiencing with His people Israel and Judah.
I realized for the first time that Hosea’s heart was breaking like God’s because they both were experiencing the same thing–the betrayal of the most beloved. A betrayal of not a single offence, but of repeated offences.
Yet, both husbands did not abandon the unfaithful wives.
It is through this painful experience that Hosea was able to bond with God and plead for his fellow countrymen in ways that only one who’s walked through such pain can.
This has helped reframe the way I’m looking at my current situation.
