I’ve been reading the Book of Ruth this month. I love Naomi because she renamed herself Mara, which means “bitter.” “For the Almighty hast dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full and the Lord has brought me home empty” (Ruth 1:20-21).
I like her because “I feel her pain.”
- When life comes at me with disappointments.
- When things seem all wrong around me.
- When losses come my way – reputation; dreams.
- When what I “love” seems to be taken away, be it a thing, a relationship or place.
This is our broken, passing world and the Lord was the safest one to blame. She just gets to her heart’s ache and calls herself bitter.
- I love how Jehovah doesn’t judge her for her honesty.
- He doesn’t punish her for her thoughts of Him or herself.
- He doesn’t even try to change her.
No, she’s the one that starts telling others to get away from her, basically saying, “The Lord isn’t blessing me so I’m no fun to be around and I have nothing to give” (Ruth 1:11-13).
In her mind, she’s not worth loving. She realizes she’s on her own and responsible for herself at this point.
Even though she’s hopeless, she can drag herself back to the place where, “She had heard the Lord had visited His people in giving them food.” (Ruth 1:6). And she didn’t have it in her to take or help anyone else.
COLD. BRUTAL. HONESTY.
Little did she know she was going to touch my heart generations later. She was sharing the grace and love of the Lord in the midst of her pain.
The rest of the story is great, as seeing the end always makes everything make sense. Her daughter-in-law Ruth stays with her in the midst of her bitterness. Boaz shows up to redeem, through a marriage she never saw coming. Oh and the Lord, He was there all along not judging her, not changing her, not “calling her to holiness.” He was going to provide bread in due season. The Bread of LIFE is Jesus, our Bridegroom, and Redeemer in the midst of a broken world, providing all of the grace we need to walk through our pain.
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Do you know “The Two Ways to Get to Heaven“?
¿Tu sabes “Dos Maneras de Ir al Cielo“?
