Some people think Holly is a fool.
Holly is a teacher. Holly is a devout Christ-follower. And Holly, knowingly, married a murderer.
In a drug-related incident in his youth, her husband stabbed his drug dealer. The case was clear-cut, and the subsequent life sentence came as no surprise. Chances are, Holly's husband will spend the rest of his days behind bars.
Holly goes to visit him a lot.
Here's the kicker: Holly didn't meet her husband until well after he'd been sentenced. She was boarding at the home of his faith-filled parents. They kept talking about their son, who they loved very much, prayed for and visited often.
The former drug-user had become an artist. He sketched people in lines so meticulous they looked almost like photographs. He taught classes for prisoners. People described him as a gentle giant; a positive influence within the prison.
Curious, Holly went with them on a visit. The two became friends and married two years later. They are devoted to one another, despite the oft-negative reactions of others. And God seems to be using their story.
I first read about Holly and her husband on a website for Christian women. Then I read the comments submitted by readers in response to the article. "Doesn't seem wise to me," wrote one woman. "What if you're wrong? What if he reverts? Then what?" asked others.
Whether Holly's artist husband is a con artist, a temporarily restricted felon, or a genuinely Christ-transformed individual, only God knows. (I admit to the same questions.) But no matter it ends, perhaps the best part of Holly's story lies in another direction.
The often rarely-turned pages of the Old Testament contain a curious story about a man named Hosea. Hosea was a prophet. Hosea was a devout God-follower. And Hosea did as he was told.
Following God's direction, he married a prostitute.
The choice was foolish from every possible angle, except God's. But God used his and Gomer's lives to remind people of his "in spite of" kind of love. A forever faithful love, for fickle people.
Holly's and Hosea's lives remind me of another story. The one Christians will begin celebrating this Sunday, the first week of Advent. A story of how God made good on his long-ago promise to send a Messiah to free people from sin and darkness, and offer them light and life.
Refuse. Recant. Rebel. Reconsider. God knew about all those responses ahead of time. Nevertheless, through his beloved Son, the message of Christmas that began in a cattle stall is an ongoing proposal: "I love you. Believe in me. Don't perish. Have everlasting life." Foolish? Perhaps.
But that's what love does, sometimes.
