Have you ever been to Israel and trudged up sand dunes in the desert of the Southern District? The country is an arid desert in some areas, lush and green in others.
Our lives can be like that—rich and satisfying at one time, then mournful or chaotic. For some of us, it may take decades to piece together the inconsistencies in our minds and hearts to come to an understanding of who we really are. We can enter a desolate place by repeated sin. Scripture tells us we are forgiven when we repent, but if we fall over and again, we might think the Lord has washed his hands of us. And isn’t that what we sometimes do to others who offend us?
When we meditate on verses like, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12); and “When we confess our sins, we have the assurance that he hears and forgives us” (1 John 1:9), we need to say it and say it until the truth seeps into our soul. It can’t be just words on a page or in our minds. The Holy Spirit will anoint the truth and make it ours.
Science shows that due to genetics or experiences, we’re predisposed to certain behaviors, but scripture gives us the answer in Romans 12:2. The New Living Translation states: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
If we haven’t repented, that’s another thing altogether. Repentance is conditional for us to receive forgiveness. Let’s examine ourselves carefully. Do we like the sin and therefore, continue in it? If so, guilt may haunt us, and this is much different from godly repentance—turning away after sorrowing over how we hurt God. Guilt says, “I shouldn’t have done that, but I’ll try harder.”
In my novel, Allured into the Wilderness, Gomer had expectations as a young person, but a change in circumstances thrust her into a completely different direction that was hard for her to reverse. It’s only after she finds herself in a wilderness experience that she discovers her true worth in the eyes of God—as demonstrated through her husband Hosea.
Do you realize how valuable you are to God and what he says about you?
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
“How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.” Psalm 139:13-14, 17-18 (NIV)
As long as we have breath, the Lord is reaching out,
alluring us into the wilderness and will speak tenderly to us. Hosea 2:14.
In this fictionalized story from scripture’s Book of Hosea, we learn about Gomer, known in scripture only for her sin of adultery. Who was she prior to their marriage and why, when offered genuine love and compassion, did she reject them in favor of a lifestyle where she faces degradation and abuse? We feel Gomer’s inner turmoil as she struggles to adapt to new roles of wife and mother, and acceptance into a culture where the law of the land allows the death penalty for adultery.
Delve into the conflicting emotions of Hosea who obeys God’s call on his life to marry a harlot, though, when faced with her infidelity, he fluctuates between grief and anger, faith and hope. Hosea tastes the heart of HaShem for the unfaithful nation of Israel in 8th century BC to prepare him for sixty years of prophetic ministry.
Find yourself in this tangled emotional quandary, knowing what is right, yet like Gomer, clinging to a familiar, destructive lifestyle even after HaShem offers a new life with Him.
Floss Craig is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Crue, a writing critique and mentoring group with award-winning author Nancy Rue. She has been a frequent attender at the Philadelphia and Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conferences.
Her novel, Allured into the Wilderness (alternate title, They Call Me Gomer), was a semi-finalist in ACFW’s historical fiction genre in the 2019 Genesis contest. Floss writes a blog using female characters from scripture and can be found at: flosscraig.wordpress.com.
In 2008 she published A Star Rises in Persia, a biblical fiction novella based on the Book of Esther. A second edition is now available in Kindle and Nook formats.
While working at a Christian counseling center, Floss wrote website and newsletter articles on topics relating to family and Christian living and served as a book reviewer for several years for the online Christian Library Journal. In addition, she was a facilitator of a community college’s writers club.
She enjoys travel and has been to many foreign countries including Turkey, Russia and Israel; and spent three months backpacking in Europe in her early 20s.
Now that her six children are grown, Floss moved from Pennsylvania to Colorado near one of her daughters and has nine grandchildren. Having retired in 2018, Floss is enjoying more time to write, take art classes, and go hiking, in addition to being a member of a local book club and helping with childcare.