For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads, it shall yield no meal; if it were to yield, foreigners would devour it. Israel is swallowed up; now they are among the nations as a useless vessel. For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild ass wandering alone; Ephraim has bargained for lovers. Though they bargain with the nations, I will now gather them up. They shall soon writhe under the burden of kings and princes. (Hosea 8: 7-10)

The Northern Kingdom engages in self-delusion and indulges illusion. They sow, but they sow the wind rather than the soil. Whatever such sowing might yield, it will not be grain.

Israel has forgotten its particular role. Ephraim has put aside its real purpose. It has become as any other nation with no specific strength.

God calls us to be radically realistic. God calls us to be our true selves. When we are true to ourselves, we are true to God, and we are in right relationship with the foundations of reality.

But we can - too easily - lose ourselves. We can mistake a mirage for the truth. We can forsake our place for another's. We can choose the wrong path.

When we are lost, God calls to us. When we are wandering, God is ready to gather us up. But to reclaim reality we must first recognize our illusions.