New Beginnings...Ruth

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We all know the story of Ruth [Ruth 1 – 4]: she was a Moabite who married a man from Bethlehem.  About ten years after she got married, her husband died and she was left husband-less and child-less.  That seems like a pretty bleak point to be.

But she experienced a New Beginning!  She had an awesome mother-in-law, she got married to a 9dare I say it?) rather wealthy land-owner, and gave birth to a son who became the grandfather of King David!  Talk about a New Beginning!

What did Ruth do differently from Orpah (Naomi’s other daughter-in-law)?  How come we know of Ruth’s story, but nothing of Orpah? Let’s look in brief at some qualities Ruth had.  I’d encourage everyone to read through the book of Ruth.  It’s a short book and can be finished in a few minutes. It has so much food for reflection.

1.         Ruth was loyal: she stayed with her mother-in-law.  She took care of her and did many good things for her as attested to by Boaz. She could be counted on.

2.         Ruth was hard-working: she went out to the fields to find food.  The Bible records that she started since morning and she hadn’t rested till afternoon.  She was an efficient worker.  She was a dedicated worker.

3.         Ruth was resourceful, she was not a wastrel: She had eaten her fill and had some left over, she didn’t throw it out the window but thought of her mother-in-law and wrapped it up carefully to take home.

4.         Ruth accepted advice, she wasn’t proud: She asked her mother-in-law, an older woman, for advice and when Naomi gave it. She accepted it and followed the advice to the letter.  Moreso, she kept on giving Naomi regular updates about what was going on, so she could receive more advice.

5.         Ruth knew how to wait: She didn’t yell at Boaz in the morning, marry me now!  She didn’t do anything too forward or untoward. She had given a little, now she stepped back and waited.  She waited patiently and quietly and as her mother-in-law predicted, the matter was solved that very same day!

Food for thought:

1.         Am I a loyal person? Can I be counted on?  Is my yes, my yes and my no, my no? do people know where they stand with me? Am I willing to go the extra mile for others?

2.         Am I hard-working? In my office or in my business, do I make good use of time? Am I organised? Do I work efficiently? Do I distract others from their work? Do I “cheat” my employers by carrying out my personal business or leisure during official hours?

3.         Am I resourceful? Do I know how to use things properly? Do I have a culture of maintenance? Do I know how to utilise things efficiently? Do I save? Do I practice the virtue of sobriety by not giving in to all the whims of my body? Do I give to charity and the less privileged? Do I sometimes give up my own preference for the sake of others?

4.         Am I proud? Am I willing to speak with those who can provide me advice – parents, spiritual authorities, trusted friends, siblings? Am I willing to listen to the view point of others? Do I take the advice of others?

5.         Do I know how to wait? How do I spend my waiting period? Do I scream and shout and complain and bicker? Or do I wait patiently and in complete trust that God will sort out the situation?

Ladies, a New Beginning is on the horizon but we need to be prepared to receive it!

Have a great day and God bless you!