Going our Own Way

 

Scripture

 Hosea 11:1-11

11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and I called my son out of Egypt.
² But the more I called to him,
    the farther he moved from me,
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal
    and burning incense to idols.
³ I myself taught Israel how to walk,
    leading him along by the hand.
But he doesn’t know or even care
    that it was I who took care of him.
⁴ I led Israel along
    with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
    and I myself stooped to feed him.

⁵ “But since my people refuse to return to me,
    they will return to Egypt
    and will be forced to serve Assyria.
⁶ War will swirl through their cities;
    their enemies will crash through their gates.
They will destroy them,
    trapping them in their own evil plans.
⁷ For my people are determined to desert me.
They call me the Most High,
    but they don’t truly honor me.

⁸ “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?
    How can I let you go?
How can I destroy you like Admah
    or demolish you like Zeboiim?
My heart is torn within me,
    and my compassion overflows.
⁹ No, I will not unleash my fierce anger.
    I will not completely destroy Israel,
for I am God and not a mere mortal.
    I am the Holy One living among you,
    and I will not come to destroy.
¹⁰ For someday the people will follow me.
    I, the Lord, will roar like a lion.
And when I roar,
    my people will return trembling from the west.
¹¹ Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt.
    Trembling like doves, they will return from Assyria.
And I will bring them home again,”
    says the Lord.       (New Living Translation)

 

Devotion

My toddler niece Amaya has spent the past few days playing in the snow.  The accumulation in the yard is just about up to her knees, and the lane that winds around the house is slick, and her boots are bigger than the shoes she is used to wearing, so the struggle to walk has been real.  Every time Amaya falls on her bottom or lands face first in a drift, my sister is there to set her back on her feet. 

Amaya is so focused on where she wants to go that she doesn't pay much attention to my sister picking her up, dusting her off, and cautioning her to slow down a bit or come back towards mommy.  It is full steam ahead until she goes does again.  The kid seems determined to get as far away from her parents as she can while she explores the world of white the surrounds her.

My niece's snow experiences remind me of God's words in Hosea 11.  God is described in what was strikingly maternal imagery at that time.   God, we learn, has loved Isreal as a whole since it was an "infant" and brought the people out of Egypt to care for them--a process that birthed a new nation.    Like any good mother, God has taught the people "how to walk" by giving them instructions on how to love God and one another. What's more, God has "stooped down" to provide for their needs, remove the burdens from their shoulders, pick them up when they fell, and lead them (first by the hand and then by tethering them to God with ropes of love).  But much like my niece keeps running off in her own direction with little heed to the mother who is taking such good care of her, the people of Israel keep ignoring and turning from God in order to follow their own paths.

How often are we like my niece and the children of Israel?  We too can get so accustomed to God's constant presence that we take God's help for granted and ignore the Spirit's voice as we run off to do whatever it is we want to do.  Just as Amaya falls in the snow when she ignores her mother's warnings, our insistence on deserting God so we can follow our paths usually ends up with us falling flat on our faces--not because God wants to hurt us, but because we become trapped in our own sinful plans.  

 The Good News is that while we stray from God, our compassionate Mother is always there for us.  When we turn back to God for help, we discover that God is always ready to come to our aid and bring us back us back home.  We call out for help and come back trembling like fearful and fragile birds.  And Mother God roars like a lion as she comes to our aid.

This day, let us pause to remember the ways we have taken God's presence for granted as we've headed off in our own ways.  Then, let us return to the one who is always willing to once again take us by the hand and lead us along with ropes of kindness and love.  For God is compassionate Mother, and her love for us is eternal.  Whether we struggling against deep snow or mired in  the depths of our own sinful plans, God is always ready to pick us up, dust us off, and teach us how to walk.

 

Prayer

Loving Mother, forgive me for ignoring your call and turning away from you to set out on my own.  I ask you to reach out your hand to help me as I return to you.  Tie me to you with ropes of love.  May you to continue to care for my needs, pick me up when I stumble, remove my heaviest burdens, and guide me in your ways.  In Jesus's name I pray, Amen.