Today is my oldest son, Isaac's 10th birthday. Its hard to believe how fast life just zooms by you. I gave birth to him at home and George's arms were the first to hold him. I remember every detail of it like it was yesterday. I also remember his birthday last year. He got a bunch of squirt guns for gifts. I remember the boys laying in wait in the kitchen when they heard his truck coming and then as he was walking up to the house they ambushed him. He and Isaac made a skateboard together that night. That skateboard has since been stolen, Isaac misses it. It's nice to look back on that memory with happiness. Although now that Im writing about it it is stirring up some sorrow. I miss him. I miss his strength, his smile. I miss the boys not having him. I was reading this morning in the book of Hosea. I just love that book. Maybe because I can relate to Gomer. I fully remember being enslaved to things before coming to Christ. But then to know Him and to have Him speak His beautiful words upon my heart and redeem me from that life I lived...there really are no words...I love Him for it. So Hosea is one of the most beautiful scriptures to me. Israel is going down and this is Gods last gracious attempt to restore them to Himself and I love that He uses a marriage /love relationship to demonstrate the picture because we all would understand that. God tells Hosea to marry a harlot named Gomer. Gomer, like Israel and us, seeks other lovers and deserts Hosea. In spite of the depth to which her sin carries her, Hosea redeems her from the slave market and restores her. Ch 2 God says "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak upon her heart. Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor (trouble) as a door of hope And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. It will come about in that day," declares the LORD, That you will call Me Ishi ( Husband) And will no longer call Me Baali. (master) For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, So that they will be mentioned by their names no more...I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD.( Another translation says; And then I'll marry you for good—forever! I'll marry you true and proper, in love and tenderness. Yes, I'll marry you and neither leave you nor let you go. You'll know me, God, for who I really am.) ...I will sow her for Myself in the land I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people! And they will say, You are my God!

Isnt that beautiful? Those were Gods last attempt words to bring Israel back to Himself. I just find Him amazing, the lengths that He goes to to show us His love for us. Think about it.