Read Hosea 2:2-13

Israel enjoyed abundance but forgot the Giver. The tragedy in Hosea 2 is not that blessings existed—it’s that their gratitude shifted. Prosperity remained, but the acknowledgment that it had come from God had faded.

We are in a season in the Church calendar called Lent – 40 days ahead of Easter. The season of Lent calls us to examine the gifts we’ve quietly turned into sources of identity.

Money becomes security. Success becomes worth. Comfort becomes peace.

None of these are evil. But when they carry the weight of ultimate trust, they distort our soul.

When we depend on provision more than the Provider, fear increases. When we measure ourselves by achievement, striving intensifies. When we seek peace through consumption, dissatisfaction deepens.

Lent slows us down enough to notice. What have I credited myself for? Where has self-sufficiency replaced gratitude? What blessings have become substitutes?

Gratitude reorders affection. It humbles us; and it reminds us that breath, opportunity, and provision are all gifts.

If God removed what you rely on most, what would it reveal about your trust? This is not meant to frighten—but to free. The cross reminds us that we are sustained not by what we accumulate, but by grace. God, in His unending love, wants you to allow gratitude of Him to dismantle the illusions you have relied on.

Reflection Questions:

• What gift in my life has quietly become ultimate?
• Where do I feel most self-made?
• What would deeper gratitude change in my posture?
• What might I need to loosen my grip on?

Journaling Prompt:

List the blessings you depend on most. For each one, write how it could become distorted if it replaced God.