Unfaithful

“Come back to me with all your heart, don’t let fear keep us apart… Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life.” (lyrics from the hymn ‘Hosea’ by Gregory Norbert)

I was reminded of this hymn recently by my friend JW. She mentioned how, in the book of Hosea, God compares himself to an abandoned, neglected spouse.

When we seek fulfillment in someone or something other than God, are we being unfaithful to Him?

Is complete devotion to God even something we should strive for?

Most of us who have been married for a while know that being a faithful, devoted spouse takes a lot of effort. We start off with good intentions, but eventually our attention is diverted from our spouse to other things—kids, work, other family members, friends, hobbies, projects, etc. We know that our spouse cannot provide us with all the validation and attention that we want and need. So we look for it elsewhere. We don’t call this being unfaithful; instead, we call it being realistic. Yet, even couples who have been married for decades will tell you that they still want this devotion from their spouse. When you stop desiring this, then your relationship has flatlined, and it’s time for some CPR!

Similarly, even though complete faithfulness to God is not humanly attainable, it is still something we should strive for. We can’t give up on this relationship. We have to keep going back with all our heart, not allowing our fear or disappointments to keep us apart. God is faithfully waiting for us.