"When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?"
Ruth 1:18-21
So, this is part of the story of Ruth (if you hadn't guessed already). :) Before this, Naomi's husband and her two sons die while they are living in Moab, and she is left alone with her sons' widows. One of them returns to her family in Moab, but Ruth is determined to stay with Naomi. This is what happens after that.
I think the story is interesting because all that happens afterward grows out of tragedy. Naomi calls herself Mara, which means sad/bitter... her life, in her eyes, wasn't going well at all. The choices that are made in this story are normal choices, but they add up to a miracle in the lives of the people that lived them, and part of the genealogy that leads to David, and to Christ.
I think if we could step back and see our lives the way that God sees them that all of our lives would be like Naomi's and like Ruth's. We experience tragedy, but we don't see where that tragedy leads, and the changes that will lead to amazing things further down the line. ... This doesn't mean of course that we are obligated to rejoice when bad things happen, but perhaps it gives us reason to hope in the midst of tragedy, because God still can see the end from the beginning and help all things to work together for our good, no matter how bitter our lives seem in a certain moment.
Today, instead of assuming that life is falling apart when it doesn't go our way, let's try assuming that our setbacks are leading to something good. Let's have faith in God and in his plan, which will help us not only because he promises a happy ending, but because if we are looking forward to something positive, then we will be more aware of the positive things that are happening around us. :) God blessed Naomi and Ruth to find happiness and peace after they had gone through a lot of suffering, and he will help us as well, if we look to him in faith. :)
So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?"
Ruth 1:18-21
So, this is part of the story of Ruth (if you hadn't guessed already). :) Before this, Naomi's husband and her two sons die while they are living in Moab, and she is left alone with her sons' widows. One of them returns to her family in Moab, but Ruth is determined to stay with Naomi. This is what happens after that.
I think the story is interesting because all that happens afterward grows out of tragedy. Naomi calls herself Mara, which means sad/bitter... her life, in her eyes, wasn't going well at all. The choices that are made in this story are normal choices, but they add up to a miracle in the lives of the people that lived them, and part of the genealogy that leads to David, and to Christ.
I think if we could step back and see our lives the way that God sees them that all of our lives would be like Naomi's and like Ruth's. We experience tragedy, but we don't see where that tragedy leads, and the changes that will lead to amazing things further down the line. ... This doesn't mean of course that we are obligated to rejoice when bad things happen, but perhaps it gives us reason to hope in the midst of tragedy, because God still can see the end from the beginning and help all things to work together for our good, no matter how bitter our lives seem in a certain moment.
Today, instead of assuming that life is falling apart when it doesn't go our way, let's try assuming that our setbacks are leading to something good. Let's have faith in God and in his plan, which will help us not only because he promises a happy ending, but because if we are looking forward to something positive, then we will be more aware of the positive things that are happening around us. :) God blessed Naomi and Ruth to find happiness and peace after they had gone through a lot of suffering, and he will help us as well, if we look to him in faith. :)
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