My heart churns within Me.  Hosea 11:8

It doesn’t naturally occur to me to think of God as having a churning heart.  His heart aches when He draws us with gentle cords of love only to find us unresponsive.  It’s when He offers everything but we are bored and distracted.  It’s when our worship fills His ears with collective mumbling.  

Have you ever loved someone more than they loved you?  Maybe it was your parents.  There is a standard narrative in some families.  The ones who cause trouble get all the love and attention, while the children who love to please are overlooked.  There are few things more painful than to live as a child with arms extended only to be refused.  

There have also been many broken engagements because one cared more than the other.  Only one of them loved with their whole heart.  The other couldn’t generate anything but casual friendship.   

And what about marriages where the love in one spouse has grown cold!  The other keeps loving, hoping, and dreaming of mutual love re-kindled.  

While we will manipulate to get the love we want, God will not.  He could, though.  He could scare us with a demonstration of His power and extort anything from us that He wanted.   But He woos gently and gives us the freedom to choose Him.  He gives everything He has and hopes we’ll respond with a love of the same kind ~ a love that abandons all other loves ~ just to have Him.  

Tearfully and joyfully, I love You with my life.  Amen