Have you guys seen the movie Redeeming Love? If you haven’t, you’re gonna have to. Ideally, you should probably just stop reading this and go watch it, then come back obviously.
I don’t want to spoil it for you but let me just tell you about it. First of all, this is a movie based on the book Hosea from the Bible. The movie is about a woman named Angel and her journey from despair as a victim of human trafficking to a path of redemption and love. She meets a man, Michael Hosea, who transforms her life with his unwavering love and faith. The movie touches on forgiveness, healing, and the power of true unconditional love. When I tell you this movie made me cry, it made me cry. This movie did such a good job portraying the love that the Father has for us while also showing us how sinful we are. I think every single person could relate to this movie and be truly touched by it. I was given a fresh perspective on how the Lord sees me and His unconditional love for me despite everything I’ve done.
After watching the movie I decided to reread Hosea and wow is it good! Hosea 3:1 states, “The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes’”. This verse is a representation of God’s enduring love for Israel who was continuously unfaithful (like us). Despite Israel’s sin and idolatry, God commands Hosea to demonstrate the Lord’s love that is radical and unconditional. The Lord loves us despite all the times we run away from Him to chase after our ways or idols. All the Lord wants from us is for us to pursue him and have a relationship with Him.
Another chapter that blows me away is Hosea 11. Hosea 11:1-4 states, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them, I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them”. The Lord walks alongside us and wants the best for us, we will never stop needing Him yet we turn and run away from Him, this is what fills the Lord with sorrow. The Lord is not angry at us but rather compassionate towards us. God is loving and patient and His ways are above ours. We need to run back to the Lord and His divine. The Lord is the most beautiful picture of love.