🌺Ruth [2]

Have you ever committed yourself to people without expecting anything in return? We find ourselves on the road with Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah. Orpah chooses to turn back, to return to what is familiar. But Ruth makes a different choice. She stays. This is what she says to Naomi ;

“But Ruth said, “Don’t ask me to leave you! Don’t beg me not to follow you! Every place you go, I will go. Every place you live, I will live. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die. And there I will be buried. I ask the Lord to punish me terribly if I do not keep this promise: Only death will separate us.”
‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭ICB‬‬

What truly stands out to me here is that Ruth wasn’t willing to return to the familiar. She was prepared to leave behind everything, her upbringing, her culture, her traditions, even the gods of Moab, to commit herself to a woman who had nothing left to offer. It’s easy to commit when there’s a promise of reward, when there’s money, status, or something to gain. But Ruth chose loyalty when there was nothing to gain but God. As I’ve said before, there is so much more to Ruth than just her meeting Boaz. Ruth was selfless. She was intentional about her relationships. She was dependable.

Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem. Naomi is old and can’t do much to provide but Ruth steps up! No one has to ask her to bring tomatoes home. Ruth is out in the field, working. She is serving. She’s not lazy. She doesn’t sit around waiting for someone else to provide. She notices when there’s no cooking oil and says, “I’ll get it.” When there’s a need , she doesn’t point to Naomi. She’s responsible.

She’s in a new land, but she’s already thinking about how to put food on the table. I’m talking to women who don’t mind working! Ruth didn’t just “need” provision she positioned herself for it. She had to be in the field to even be seen. And when Boaz asked about her, the foreman’s report wasn’t about her beauty, it was about her work ethic: “She’s been here all day!” But some of us? We’re on social media all day, hoping for Boaz to DM us. Men these days aren’t looking for liabilities, they look out for responsible women who won’t sit while the family is starving. What chores do you know? Or you will get a “maid” Princess Susan!

Ruth found herself in Boaz’s field and I believe it was the leading of the Lord. May the Lord lead you into such a field!

When Boaz sees her, he’s curious. “Who is she? Where is she from?” And then a foreman steps up and says, “I’ve got some information.” Listen, it was that information that made Boaz allow her to stay. It wasn’t a perfume (although you MUST put on some) It wasn’t her body. She didn’t seduce anyone to “pick her”. She didn’t seduce the foreman. It was her selflessness that opened the door. If you’re selfish, if your whole life is built around you, your little sandcastle will soon be blown away by the winds. Nobody wants a selfish friend. As a matter of fact, some people left you & you’re still complaining about how bad they were but they were running away from your me me me attitude.

Do you know, Ruth didn’t introduce herself. Her works did. Ruth didn’t have the Rachel figure that made Jacob work 14 years. We don’t hear about her curves or her cuteness, we hear about her heart. She’s the woman who left her people to stand with her mother-in-law. She’s the woman who brought food home. She’s the woman who worked. She’s the woman who made things work. She’s the woman with love. She’s the woman who gave of herself.

She reminds me of Tabitha (Dorcas), the woman in Acts 9 who was known for doing good and helping the poor. When she died, the widows stood and wept, holding out the clothes she had made for them. Her life spoke for her. Dear women, what people say about you matters. If you think it doesn’t? Think again and think McCain! Your life preaches before your mouth does. “I don’t care. I’m living my best life!” Okay. In rooms you cannot enter, there are people in there who can speak of you. I hope they’re not talking about how rude you are.

Ask yourself… or better yet, ask someone around you who will be honest: What in my character needs to change? What could be quietly closing the doors of opportunity in my life?

Am I selfish?

Am I lazy?

Am I rude?

Am I proud?

If you were the foreman, what would you say about you? Because here’s the truth: Even the person you overlook might be the one holding the report about you. Some of you are only kind to rich people. I’ll say it ooo! You serve certain people with a smile because you think they can do something for you.You’ll happily clean a billionaire’s house, but your own mother has to beg you to wash the dishes. Listen: Boaz was the owner of the field, but it was the foreman who had the information that kept Ruth in the field.

So before you go around saying “I’m Ruth,”remember, Ruth is a whole book, not just a chapter. The foremen are watching – Selah.

Let’s do part 3 tomorrow and come to a conclusion.

I love you.🌺