Posted in Biblical retellings

INFIDELITY

A biblical retelling


“I love you” he whispered. “Why?” She asked, smiling at him. “Everything and nothing, darling. I have no reason tonight” He responded, a sad smile gracing his lips. Placing a finger on her lips and shushing her mid sentence, he continued “Before you lecture me on how my love is untrue for being without reason, permit me tonight, cara mia, to love you without reason.”

Far from satiated, he watched her huff and puff and knew it was only a matter of time till she defused. So he pleaded “Just let me hold you, ma chèrie, please.”

Snuggled in his arms, facing the moonlit sky, she sighed. The cold sea breeze and even colder beach sands a harsh reminder of why they were out so late. 

The rings. 

It wearied her to think of them. 

Hosea and his ways; he’d taken the pains to get another, paying a little extra this time to ensure the design was same as the first. 

This was the fifth time they were renewing their vows and as the other four, he insisted they did it at the beach, where he first met her, on a cool evening six years ago. 

“Why Hosea?, why?!” Gomer asked, “Do you just love to brand me evil? You know I can’t help that I’m nymphomaniac, let me be, you won’t. What is it you want? I cannot be faithful to one, and…” “And I never asked you to be,” Hosea interjected, “I’m only asking that you love me, and let me love you. Stop running away from home.” 

“Hosea, I try. God, you don’t know how much. I try to stay faithful, I-I-I- I TRY. So hard, dear. But, we have to accept that this is me.” Gomer sobbed. 

“I know dear” Hosea said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I don’t want you to try to stop these urges. I only want you to love me, amour; Just love me” he whispered, rocking her from side to side. 

“I thought it’d go as I grew, or when I gave birth, but I’ve had two babies, babies of which I am unsure are your seed, and now I’m pregnant with the third. Probably a bastard too” “Don’t say such words.” “No,” Gomer shrugged, pulling out of his embrace and rising to her feet. “You must hear me out, I’m at wits end.” Her voice rose an octave as she continued, “Do you never tire of coming back for me, over and again? How could you love me so? And these kids, the mementos of my sin, you love with reckless abandon. How?… ” Her flow of words cut short by choking tears, she wept. 

Rising to meet her, Hosea stroked her silky brown hair and let the tears flow down his cheeks. Words could not capture how he felt.

Reminiscing how he’d longed for this day when Gomer, the woman he loved would confess her love, he embraced her, then began to tell her once more of the love of God for his people Israel. In that moment, as Gomer renewed her vows on the beach under the moonlit sky, the host of heaven smiled down.

A new day had just begun for Israel, for slowly but surely, one man after the other the entire nation would be wooed to redemption by the message of an infidel woman loved by her husband. 

Ps: Just like Hosea, God doesn’t want us to try to change ourselves. He only wants us to love Him and let Him love us. Our love relationship will blossom, slowly but surely, till our love constrains us from the things that hamper our relationship with Him. 

You are loved, today and always, by a jealous but faithful lover. Return to his bedchamber and the comfort of His embrace. 

#life #hope #love #hosea #gomer #infidelity #adultery #biblicalretellings #retelling #modernbiblestories #storiesoflove #romance

Posted in Biblical retellings

CANDY AND CRUSHES

Bad habits die hard, and sometimes, they kill us before they die.

Remember, you said you won’t play ever again? Well, well. Here we are.

These heart games.

Eyes flitting, back and forth. Gazes colliding.

Waiting for who’ll break the silence.

He stares at you, you peek at him.

Letting your eyelids droop, ever so slightly, behind your glasses. Subtilty is key in this game.

You stare at him, your heart thudding; his eyes collide with yours, holds your gaze for a moment; a moment too long.

That awkward moment.

Your heart stops beating in those splits of seconds, then, he looks away.

But just before he does, you see his lips slightly upturned. It’s fickle, but your heart needs to hope, that it means he is enamored by you. For in this moment, you believe in fairy tales, love-at-first-sight and balderdash. You cannot bear to be scorned.

You sneak a peek at him, quickly accessing his attire, to assuage your fears. You are certain he’s a stranger in these parts.

Surely, he has not yet heard gossip from the market women — The ones that love to call you “Candy”; a dignified title for your whoredom, they say. But, you cannot lose hope.

Your heart must hope, so it suggests that he’s a traveller, and you entertain the thoughts that say he’ll spend a night or two in town.

You’re wanton and unabashed, but you know the attraction you feel to this man is not in hopes for a fling. You want more. And it scares you.

But, what could be more than a fling? You do not want to know. You deny it’s existence, just as it did you.

Yet, somehow, you know; deep inside you it resonates, strikes a chord, and fills you with sweet melody… He is the one.

Your left brain reminds you, that this is the feeling you had with husband 1, 2 and 3, before you stopped feeling, and began to view the 4th, 5th and 6th wedding ceremonies as business deals.

But, like moth to flame, you’re drawn. You begin your walk to the place he sits, tired and glorified.

Still undecided, you settle in on going with your gut.

If he plays nice, you play “hard-to-get”, if he plays hard, you play “damsel-in-distress”.

You’re bringing your A game to the table.

But.

You didn’t know, that in five minutes he’ll ruin your best defences.

You did not see your jaw slack, and mouth wide open in wonder, as he bested you at your game.

No. You did not see yourself discard your water pot, with careless abandon, so uncharacteristic of you.

How could you know, that in under an hour hour, you’d be drenched in a torrent of love?

You did not see his words wrapping around your many wounds, healing your soul and making you beg him to let you be His love slave. No. You didn’t see that.

Because, if you did, you’d never had played those games.

Because, if you’d seen, you’d have known, that He always plays to win.

And win, He did; not just your heart, but the heart of all the men in your city.

Flawless victory!! The battle, and the war.

And now you remember what brought you to the well, your need to take akara and bread for lunch.

You are the Woman of Samaria, He is Jesus Christ, and this, is the tale of one; a tale for all.


Amen.

Culled from: John 4.

#Life #Hope #Love!

05.06.019
©G. G. Joseph