There’s a sweet story placed within the early pages of
Jesus’ family history. It’s an account
of a remarkable young woman who, upon marrying, left her kin and committed
herself fully to the family of her husband.
In this girl’s biography, Ruth teaches us a level of love and loyalty
that is completely foreign in our culture today.
We’re told that there was a great famine at that time, and
so Ruth’s new clan moved to a foreign country where they could survive. But then illness took her father-in-law, and
subsequently the lives of both her husband and her brother-in-law. Completely devastated, and with no one to
provide for them, Ruth’s mother-in-law released her sons’ widows to return home
to their original families.
The bible says, “but Ruth clung to her
[mother-in-law]” (Ruth 1:14 ESV, emphasis mine). And then makes a profound statement of
allegiance to her mother-in-law, Naomi:
“But Ruth said,
‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you
lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be
my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16 ESV)
By contrast, recently my own mother, long since divorced
from my father and remarried, phoned me from across town to ask a favor. Her stepson and his family had been visiting
their aging father and needed a ride to the airport early the next
morning. Would I take them to the
airport?
I cringed.
Get up early to drive across town, pick up someone else’s
guests, and drive out of town to the airport?!!
The request seemed ridiculous when Uber is the normal mode of
transportation.
But then I realized that if the people needing a ride were
my own siblings, I would not hesitate to say yes. Even though my mom has been married to her
husband for over 16 years, her two families have not become one. The problem was clear:
Her people were not my people.
I cringed again, feeling deeply convicted at the lack of
love and loyalty towards my biological mother and the family she has through
her second marriage.
Ruth’s faithfulness in remaining family with Naomi, despite
the tragedies around them, is a Godly and righteous level of commitment to
community that Christ wants us to follow.
The story of Ruth ought to chastise my hardness of heart towards family
duties...and it has. It’s done its job
to reveal in me the areas of relationship that remain broken since my parents’
divorce.
Do you have people in your life that you don’t want to
claim? Do you feel a resistance to be
with them or resentment in what they’ve done to you? Are they family? Could they be church family?
These people are God’s gift to you. They are your people. So, what work needs to be done in your heart
to reclaim them as your own? What steps
do you need to take towards forgiveness?
Let’s Pray: Heavenly
Father, we thank You for the gift of family, even if all the good feelings are
not currently there. Thank you for telling
us the story of Ruth, who teaches us Your lessons in love and loyalty. We ask for strength as we trust in Your
process of forgiveness and move towards building a beautiful family...and a
united church. It’s in Jesus we pray –
Amen.
Sharon has been writing and teaching biblically based curriculum, Bible studies, and devotionals since 2007.
She has
had the unique position of writing curriculum and teaching for two private,
Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both programs primarily served
women in the homeless community.
Sharon has
traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the
rural Maasai communities. She’s been privileged to speak in Leadership camps intended
on encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often
abused young women.
Within
these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words
spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its
transformative power has become her passion.
Sharon and
her husband, divide their time between Oregon and Hawaii. They have two grown
children.
Currently,
Sharon is encouraging others via her inspirational blog, but prefers sharing
face to face. Additionally, she is working towards a degree in Ministry.
~*~
Connect
with Sharon:
Website: Sharonmusgrove.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sharon-Musgrove-Untethered-102208978041060
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonmusgrove_untethered/
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