A little reminder

Our national news media has been gripped the past few days by the drama of the “runaway bride” from Duluth, GA. A young woman who apparently got a terrible case of cold feet before her wedding disappeared without a trace, prompting a nationwide search for her as a possible kidnapping victim. She turned up in New Mexico a few days ago having faked the whole thing (she even cut her hair to avoid detection). Relief over her reappearance soon gave way to anger over her deceit.

Being a male of the species, my sympathies were with the groom. He really got the shaft here. Not only was he terrified at the possibility of her loss, he was also treated as a suspect in her disappearance. The whole country got to watch his ordeal on cable news. When she was found, I was certain that he would call the thing off. This was a terrible thing to do to someone, and he would be fully justified in walking away.

It was a bit of a surprise then when I heard that not only would he forgive her, but that he also wanted to proceed with the wedding. A sweet, romantic story perhaps, but not very smart.

Then it hit me. Isn’t this the way God is with us?

The prophets of the Old Testament tell the story of God’s people as inconsistent and faithless. God is like that groom, and God’s people are the runaway bride. They run away not because they are scared but because they go with other lovers. God is jilted time and time again by the people, and God keeps taking them back! Either God is a real chump, or something much more profound is going on here.

The Bible word is hesed, which has no English equivalent. Many translations render it “loving-kindness” or “steadfast love.” It literally means a love that will not let go. You and I are being pursued by a love that will not let us go, even as we are inconsistent and faithless. Our relationship with God is never dependent on our ability to stay true. It depends on God’s faithfulness, which never wavers. Aren’t you glad to know that?

Our Georgia couple has some issues to work through, and here is hoping that they do. I really hope they live happily ever after. But even if they don’t, we can never apply the standards of human love to God. God’s love is way beyond anything we can comprehend. What a joy!


On a personal note, I am remembering today the events of May 4, 1970. On that terrible Monday thirty five years ago four college students at Kent State University were shot to death and nine others wounded by Ohio National Guardsmen during a campus anti-war protest. It is difficult now to remember the political and social conditions that gripped our country at the time. As a seventeen year old high school student I was profoundly affected by this tragedy. It became a factor in my call to ministry, as I wanted to be part of the healing of divisions in our society. Isn’t it amazing how certain events in our lives have great power for us, even as they get farther away in time?