“When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.” Hosea 13:6

I’ve got an earworm. You know…a song that gets stuck in your head? It seems no matter what I am doing or thinking, it’s still playing in the background? Oh yea.. It’s a big one! Now, I can’t decide if it’s because of the beat or the words. It’s gotten to a point where I am taking exhaustive measures to get rid of it. Maybe if I dissect it, cut it up, or break it down I might get it to disappear.

It’s my son’s fault! He loves music. Which means it’s probably MY fault because… so do I. Growing up, ALL my kids heard so much music, they liked it too. When my son got a subscription to an online music service, he offered me as one of his recipients. I love looking up songs, artists and genre’s… then listening through my headphones as I work. But now… an earworm!?

The song is “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa. The earworm is, “I’m not where you left me at all!” It’s about someone who has been jilted, but then has finally moved on. The mood of the song (hence the beat) is celebratory, since the pain of the breakup is over and life seems joyful again. Today’s verse lays out a process all too familiar. Fed, satisfied, proud, then forgetful! How sad.

This verse in Hosea summarizes the process of Israel’s estrangement with God. Sadly, even God seemed to question His own methods to win His people. Blessing them, led them to self satisfaction, pride and then forgetfulness. Sadly, the process doesn’t stop with Israel. I find that I can, if not careful, begin to forget God far too easily. It’s then that an earworm may be needed.

I am a FOLLOWER of Jesus Christ. I personally committed to go where He leads. But now that my earworm is engaged, I feel like He’s asking me to look where I am right NOW. Am I closely following Him? Since He promised to never leave me, is He asking me if ‘I’ have moved? Do I desire Him so much that moving away from Him is out of the question? It’s a good Lenten thought for all.

MAYBE this earworm is God telling ME that He wants ME to be sure I am more sticky! Which doesn’t surprise me at all! How close to Jesus are YOU in your following?