An Institute teacher of mine, told me of the story of "Hosea" during a difficult experience I was facing at that time in my life. In short, I had a boy I was dating who walked away from our relationship for a "Woman of the world". This has happen to me again since that time, and I have been able to recall the story and words spoken to me about Hosea's experience.
Hosea loved the Lord and he loved his wife. But she could not give up her lusts and passions...so she left him to follow after the paths of those temptations and enticeings. But on those paths, they led to nothing but heartache and sorrow for her.
I see this happen so often. Men (and women) giving up precious relationships because of their selfish feelings or reasoning. They get lost in pornography, vain and miscontstrued perceptions of what relationships should be, or they just don't want to devote themselves to one soul. It brings tears to my eyes, not only for what I have had to endure in this area...but what so many others have endured. You feel worthless, unloved, unattractive, and brokenhearted.
I found a talk on Hosea that I really like. It points out some important points and gives understanding on how the Lord feels when his children leave him for the "world".
"I WILL BETROTH THEE UNTO ME IN RIGHTEOUSNESS”
by Ted L. Gibbons
Elder Ronald E. Poelman of the Seventy spoke of the message of Hosea.
“My message today might best be illustrated through the experiences of a young couple whom I will call John and Gayle.“John was a thoughtful, kind young man, affectionate, with a frank and open manner. He sincerely tried to obey the Lord’s commandments and found honest contentment in the joys of family life. Gayle, his wife, was young, attractive, high‑spirited, but inclined toward more worldly interests and activities. The society in which they lived was, in general, one of affluence and materialism. People seemed preoccupied with temporal gain, social status, entertainment, and self‑gratification. Religious leaders were concerned about the apparent breakdown in family life and moral standards.
“In the early years of their marriage, John and Gayle were blessed with children, first a boy and then a girl; but Gayle seemed uninterested in her domestic responsibilities. She longed for excitement in her life and was frequently away from home at parties and entertainments, not always with her husband. In her vanity, Gayle encouraged and responded to the attentions of other men until eventually she was unfaithful to her marriage vows.
“Throughout, John encouraged Gayle to appreciate the joys of family life and experience the rewards of observing the laws of God. He was patient and kind, but to no avail. Shortly after the birth of a third child, a son, Gayle deserted her husband and children and joined her worldly friends in a life of self‑indulgence and immorality. John, thus rejected, was humiliated and brokenhearted.
“Soon, however, the excitement that had attracted Gayle turned to ashes. Her so‑called friends tired of her and abandoned her. Then each successive step was downward, her life becoming more and more degraded. Eventually she recognized her mistakes and realized what she had lost, but could see no way back. Certainly John could not possibly love her still. She felt completely unworthy of his love and undeserving of her home and family.
“Then one day, passing through the streets, John recognized Gayle. Surely he would have been justified in turning away, but he didn’t. As he observed the effect of her recent life, all too evident, a feeling of compassion came over him—a desire to reach out to her. Learning that Gayle had incurred substantial debts, John repaid them and then took her home.
“Soon John realized, at first with amazement, that he still loved Gayle. Out of his love for her and her willingness to change and begin anew, there grew in John’s heart a feeling of merciful forgiveness, a desire to help Gayle overcome her past and to accept her again fully as his wife.
“Through his personal experience there arose in John another profound awareness, a realization of the nature of God’s love for us, his children. Though we disregard his counsel, break his commandments, and reject him, when we recognize our mistakes and desire to repent, he wants us to seek him out and he will accept us” (Ronald E. Poelman, “God’s Love for Us Transcends Our Transgressions,” Ensign, May 1982, 27, 28).
(For the full talk, go to... http://www.ldsliving.com/ot34.asp )
