For Our Time

Day two hundred twenty-five

I prayed this morning with gratitude for some time off and for the many blessings I receive at work.  I am blessed to work with some amazing people who are great examples to me!  I also asked that my family would be blessed with some quality time, that we would love each other like crazy, and that we would be blessed with service opportunities!

Ruth 1
Sometimes when I am studying the scriptures it takes a while to get the juices flowing in my brain to find that special something that grabs my attention and says to me "Start here and see where it leads!"  I have read the book of Ruth many times before and wanted to see it in a different light this time.  As I began reading the first verse, I heard the little voice say, "Start Here!".

The first verse doesn't seem like anything too special, but in my pondering mode I found an interesting message:  The story of Ruth is for us today!  It has everything to do with us in our time!  Here are some of my thoughts:

The first verse starts off talking about the time this story takes place (the time of the judges) and what was going on in the land (famine).

It was the famine part that caught my interest.  There was more going on here than just no food!  The time of the judges was also a time of moral famine (remember each man did according to what he thought was right, even if it was wrong,Judges 21:25) and a time of spiritual famine (idols were big then, think of the story of Micah in Judges 17-18).  Does this sound familiar at all?

The world is in an economic famine of sorts, there is still food famines in the world, we are definitely in a moral famine, and spirituality is pushing to the side for worship of different kinds of idols.  This is a story for our time!

The big question is, how did Ruth survive this time with such grace? 

If we can figure that out then maybe we can learn from her how to get through OUR time with grace.

Chapter 1
Love and Compassion Verse 9 - Naomi is trying to let her daughter-in- laws go.  Ruth shows love and compassion when it says "they lifted up their voice, and wept."  It is not always easy to show love and compassion in an emotionally hard world.  It was a rough time for Ruth, she had lost her husband, she was about to lose her mother-in-law, and there had to be worries about how she was going to take care of herself.  Yet she is not bitter, but filled with love and compassion.  What a great example!

Support Team Verse 14 -  While the other daughter-in-law leaves Naomi to return home, this verse tells us that Ruth "clave" unto her.  The word "clave" means 'to hold fast to'.  During this difficult time Ruth knows that she needs 'to hold fast to' those that she loves.  They are a support system for each other.  They need each other.  Their best chance to get through this is to be united, not apart. 

Think about the difficult times in your life, who do you lean on to help you get through them?  Is it easier to push through it alone or to share the burden together?  I personally have found that when my family is in crisis and we all pull together we get through it faster and come out stronger.  The times I have tried to deal with something on my own usually are the least successful in terms of results.

Steadfast and Adapting Verses 16-18 - Ruth knows that it is right for her to stay with Naomi and she doesn't give up on that thought.  She stands her position and explains her feelings about it until Naomi understands. She is described as "stedfastly minded" in verse 18.  This is one of my favorite characteristics of Ruth.  She sticks to what she knows is right, even when those she loves don't necessarily understand it.  We need more of this in the world!

Note in these verses that Ruth is willing to adapt to make the best of this situation.  She is willing to move, to live among a new people, and to learn about their religion.  How many of us could use a little adapting in our lives?  Often we get stuck in one way of thinking and we can't see that there are other ways to get through the situation.  When that happens we miss opportunities to learn and grow.  We need to be more open and see things from all angles possible.  

Now I am not suggesting that you go and find a new God, I am merely stating that you should be more open to learning about another's beliefs.  You would be surprised at what you might learn about the other person, yourself, and even our God!  If approached in the right way, your realtionship with others, yourself, and God can be strengthened through honest discussions about your different beliefs.  

What great lessons in only one chapter! It was an eye opener to me to see the connection between Ruth's time and our time.  It also has given me the opportunity to see the areas in my life that need improvement if I am to survive this time with grace.  I am still filled with love and compassion and I have a great support team, but I need to work on the steadfast and adapting part.  I'm sure the Lord will give me plenty of opportunities to work on it!