KMART KID

1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel.

Hosea 1:1 (NIV)

Back in the day, before Target and Walmart, all we had was Kmart.  I was a Kmart kid.  I grew up on blue light specials, bubble gum ice cream (which they served at my Kmart), and Kmart chimichangas (Our Kmart had a restaurant at the back of the store. I’ll never forget the taste of that chimichanga.  It’s my earliest food tasting memory.).  I remember every store trip I searched for a toy.  My goal was to find it early and hoped in convincing Mom to buy it for me.  You remember doing that right?  First step in the convincing process began with just carrying it around.  Perhaps it was our way of getting Mom use to seeing us with it.  It’s hard to make us put it back after her getting use to seeing us with our toy.  The subliminal message we were hoping to give was:  This toy is already mine.  Money in your purse is the only thing that will get this toy to its rightful owner.

Next step was the verbal convincing:  “I’ve always wanted a toy like this.”

The next step was to appeal to her maternal instinct:  “I understand it’s not my birthday.  But Mom, aren’t you grateful everyday that God blessed you with a son like me?  I guess that means every day is a great day to celebrate my birth.  Wouldn’t you say if that’s the case then everyday is my birthday?  I’m just saying…it seems like the only logical conclusion.”

Here’s when Mom would say: “Put that back!” “ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!” The toy mission reaches DEFCON 1.  Time to abort the mission.  Some of us do others of us proceed with desperate measures.  It begins with whining which leads to warning #1.  Then begging which brings warning #2.  Then the riskiest of all moves, you toss the toy in the shopping cart.  Warning time is over.  Now’s the time for action which came in the form of a spanking.  “What is this?” we wonder, “A spanking?  Where did that come from?”  How could we be shocked after being warned over and over again?

Hosea only names one king of Israel:  Jeroboam, the last of many kings of Israel that was warned by God.  God sent prophet after prophet whose sole purpose was to warn Israel of the coming wrath.  Chance after chance was given.  Jeroboam 1 (not the one Hosea writes of here) was warned by the unnamed prophet and Ahijah.  Baasha warned by Jehu; Ahab by Elijah, Micaiah; Ahaziah by Elijah; Jehoram by Elisha.  And for Jeroboam 2 God rose up Hosea, Amos, and Jonah.  These kings and Israel had no excuse since God never ceased to send His prophets among them.

If you are living outside of God’s plan, discipline is upon you.  Don’t be surprised when it comes.  This journal entry is one of many warnings God has sent to you.  How do I know?  It’s God’s way.  Sermons, advice, and God’s own voice in your soul.  And what you’ve done with those warnings determines if discipline will follow.  Remember that God disciples those He loves.