If there’s any story that can aptly describe the concept of unrequited love, it shall be Hosea’s personal life story. Just last Sunday, Stephan Munsey illustrated this story into what the church claimed to be shell-shocking. And shell-shocking it was.

To cut the story brief, Hosea’s was asked to marry a woman (Gomer) who acted her life just like a prostitute. And his decision (to marry an adulteress) came under public’s scrutiny. He loved her anyways. But things went terribly wrong when Gomer bore children that didn’t belong to Hosea. Still, God asked Hosea to reclaim this “unworthy” wife and love her nevertheless.

In today’s context, any signs of infidelity almost always sees the marriage winds up in a divorce. To behave like what Hosea did was plainly stupid. Today, friends of Hosea will come up to him and flood him with copious amount of “I told you so” stories; every friend of his will be eager to offer their advice, just to prove that their judgements on Gomer were right. Whereas all Hosea could do was to suffer silently, with only God to blame.

But Hosea had faith in God when instructed to marry a promiscuous woman. He continued so when friends discouraged him and was continually condescended and lampooned upon. More so, when Gomer revealed that their children were not his, Hosea’s life seemed to crumble. Still he accepted Gomer.

Stephan Munsey highlighted that to love someone is a decision. Although the experience of loving can be fueled by initial infatuations, be influenced by beauty and be passionately emotional. Still, to love someone will mean to make that decision to care, and to give.

When we love someone desperately and receive nothing in return, we felt shortchanged. And it happened with every relationship I once had. Just like God, we couldn’t make someone love us. To love is ultimately, still a decision. We can however, choose to hope and wait patiently, or choose to move on.

From Hosea’s story, I realise how loving someone can actually be a test of faith. We started loving, hoping to be loved in return. It is hope but not an expectation. When people fail us, those shifting moods seemed hopelessly irrational. It is also the time when life’s capriciousness hits us hard. God started loving us without expecting us to love Him back, but hopefully and patiently waited for our token in return. The service taught me to love more, and more importantly, to stay faithful even when responses we garnered may not be exactly the ones we hoped for.

After the relationship crisis, a part of me wanted very much to heal the devastated relationship. I have tried. But I reckon it will be too much a hypocrisy afterall. I’m not entirely happy to see things happen in the way they are now and  have no idea why, but it just feels this way.

And in other cases, friends can sometimes choose to hurt us in various ways, the blow to our faith to continue loving can be harsh and can really be a tremendous test of faith.