The Ruth of a Naomi.
Ruth 1:15-16
“Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
There are a lot of people in our surroundings that just have a bitter attitude toward life. Everything in and around them just seem to be "bad luck". Because of this, a lot of them view life as useless, meaningless, and no point. This is exactly what Naomi felt when she lost "everything" she had- her husband and 2 sons. For some people, this is the end of their life. And so it was for Naomi as well. She was really bitter towards life and thought that life would just have no meaning. However, the story doesn't end there. She had Ruth who clung on to her "for better or for worse". Ruth was her crutch (by Ruth's choice). Ruth basically stood next to her and said that she will go through whatever circumstance Naomi was in. Who are we a Ruth to right now? Who needs our help, our encouragement and our shoulder to lean on? Find that someone today. Who knows, it maybe just someone close to you, or some random person the street. Regardless who it is, we need someone to be the Ruth of those who are lost.
I need to be sensitive to who the Naomi's are in my life. Whether it be my family members, the youth, close friends, my students, or just random people that I meet. I must be willing to give my time and effort in making them feel that God still has a plan for their lives. I want God to use me to be their Ruth.
Lord, please help me to be available in helping the Naomi's that I will encounter daily. Help me to have that compassion towards them; to feel their pain and to help ease it out. Use me Lord and help me to be sensitive to those who may need my helping hand today, and everyday of my life. Thank you for reminding me that I can be your instrument in spite of my busy schedule. I want to serve you through people. Please empower me, In Jesus' name, amen.
