Living Like a Prostitute

Naranasan mo na ba ang magmahal? Siguro naman. E yung magmahal at pagtaksilan? Ang hardcore lang di ba. E yung alam mo naman na may history ng pagiging unfaithful pero mamahalin mo pa rin? Mas hardcore yan. At ang sarap batukan. Pero eto naman talaga ang true love - yung kaya mong tanggapin lahat ng kamalian ng tao dahil mahal mo siya.

Nakapanood ako ng episode ng My Faithful Husband one time and from the title itself madali mong mahuhulaan ang istorya: may isang taong tapat na nagmamahal sa isang taong unfaithful na humahabol naman sa isa pang character, na temporary joy lang naman ang kayang ibigay. There is an element of discontent, unfaithfulness and pursuit of temporary happiness. Parang modern day portrayal ng buhay ni Hosea.

Hosea's story

The Book of Hosea portrays an episode where the people practice religious ceremonies without being mindful of God himself. There was no genuine devotion and commitment to the Lord, leading to compromise, selfish ambition, and lack of integrity in one’s personal activities and dealings. Kung ganito ang buong bansa, dishonesty and corruption will become endemic; sooner or later that nation is in imminent danger of God’s judgment.

Imagine Hosea as a prophet of God sa panahong ang mga Israelites ay binabalaan ng nakaambang panganib kung sila ay hindi manunumbalik sa Panginoon at sa halip ay magpapatuloy sa kasalanan. And the way God delivered His message through Hosea is very dramatic, talbog ang aktingan nila Dennis at Jennylyn.

Ang God's will for Hosea to marry is a prostitute. Of all the people, bakit sa ganun pang klaseng babae? But God has a message to say through their relationship. So Hosea took Gomer the harlot to be his wife and they had sons and daughters, all with interesting names.

Here's the scenario in a nutshell: kahit gaano pa kamahal ni Hosea si Gomer, makailang ulit na bumabalik si Gomer sa dati niyang pamumuhay. Siya yung tipo ng tao na pinahiga mo na sa kama, bumabalik pa sa sahig. Pinaliguan mo na at binihisan para isama sa Star City or Enchanted Kingdom, mas gusto pa rin magtampisaw sa putikan. Mas nag-eenjoy siya dun.

Because of Gomer's marital unfaithfulness, Hosea has all the reason in the world to leave her and let her continue living the life she wanted for herself. Yet his love can never be overcome by pressure and insult from other people. May forever kay Hosea. Kahit makailang ulit na magtaksil si Gomer, ganun ding ulit siyang tinatanggap ni Hosea.

Our story

Theirs is a story of how love covers a multitude of sin, kahit adultery pa. Pero spiritually speaking, their story is our story as well. A lot of us might say, "I will never have that kind of story, I will never be like Hosea". However, this is a very presumptuous statement. Yes, most of us never want to be like Hosea, but we can be like Gomer in our relationship to God even without us realizing.

1. We become like Gomer when we choose to go our own way than God's way.

"E kasi naman minsan parang ang tagal sumagot ni Lord sa prayers ko. Kailangan ko na ng trabaho, kaya eto na lang. Konting kompromiso lang naman e." Minsan parang mas may sense pa na gawin natin on our own yung mga bagay bagay kaysa sumunod sa mga panuntunan ng Lord. Mukha kasing mas madali, mukhang mas mabilis, mukhang mas enjoy. Hosea wanted his wife to be under his protection but the latter wanted to go on her own. Parang tayo. Minsan we're given instructions not to do this, not to do that pero sa katigasan ng ulo, ayun madalas napapahamak sa huli. Instead of trusting the Lord for His word and promises, mas naniniwala tayo sa mga fortune-tellers, mga horoscopes at feng shui; ang pag-asa naman natin ay ibinigay na natin sa 5-6 at mga networking scams.

2. We become like Gomer when we refuse to recognize the blessings God has given us.

Gomer was given the best his husband can afford to give. Dun pa lang malaking bagay na dapat sa kanya.

Pero ewan ko ba, naghahanap pa rin siya ng iba. Binigyan ng rose, naghanap ng tulips. Binigyan ng coke, gusto pa diet coke! I believe Hosea is a good provider to his family, but Gomer's discontent brings her to the lap of other lovers, who doesn't really love her at all. Minsan ganito din tayo e. We tend to compare what we don't have with what others have and end up feeling miserable. Pero di natin alam ganun din sila sa kung anong meron tayo. Our discontent makes us feel bad about ourselves and blinds us from what we already have in our lap. Think about it. The fact that you are reading this post means that you have an internet connection, no matter how slow it is, compared to people who doesn't even know what internet is.

3. We become like Gomer when our source of satisfaction and joy is no longer God himself.

Gomer has a lot of things to be grateful for. In spite of her background and way of living, someone has redeemed her and gave her a new identity. She is no longer Gomer the Harlot, but Gomer the Beloved.

As a beloved wife and mother, her pleasure and source of joy should be her husband, but the reality proves the otherwise. Wala sa asawa niya ang kanyang kasiyahan. Wala sa pamilya niya ang kanyang kagalakan. Nasa kandungan pa rin ng iba. Maybe you are thinking, "she needs professional help badly". But think about this: Is God, who has redeemed you and saved you and has given you a new identity in Christ still the source of your joy? Or we relegate our joy to the things we have: possessions, relationships, accomplishments and self-image? Mahirap sagutin, actually.

Are we living like Gomer? Are we living like a prostitute?