WALKING IN GOD’S PURPOSE THROUGH TRIALS

BY ANDREA SCOTT

Ruth represents the kind of strength and dignity that is a model for us all. The truth is, every one of us has challenges, just like Ruth did. Yes, even that woman over there with the seemingly perfect posts and family We don’t always wear our struggles on the outside, but they fill our minds and hearts awaiting relief

I can relate I’ve lost two pregnancies and had a marriage nearly fall apart My oldest child has 5 learning disabilities and ADD, and nearly died when he was sick a few years ago Depression and anxiety have tried to control my life since adolescence

But God sustains me through it all God shows me that HE is my strength (Psalm 28:7, NKJV) I can venture into unknown circumstances because He is already there, making a way for me, knowing He will be by my side the entire time And He will be with you, as well

Ruth was no stranger to trials and rejection, either She married a man from a different culture, lost her husband, followed her mother-in-law Naomi to her husband’s people, worked hard to support herself and her mother-in-law, and was instructed to do something that could easily have been misconstrued But God protected her, guided her, and prepared a way for her

In studying Ruth’s life, I find that she was:

R – Responsible Ruth did what she had to do She chose to honor her commitment to Naomi’s family by traveling with her back to Judah and leaving her own family in Moab Later, she also acts responsibly when she went to glean in the fields She knew that while “just a woman, ” she alone could care for Naomi She did what needed to be done to work hard, providing what she could for her household

U – Unassuming Ruth was not pretentious or selfseeking When she and Naomi returned, people were surprised to see her arrival Naomi replied, “Don’t call me Naomi Instead call me Mara (meaning bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty ” (Ruth 1:20-21, NKJV) If I were Ruth, I would take offense to this! Empty? She gave up her entire birth family and life to return with Naomi to a people, culture, and religion she knew nothing about! But by all accounts, she held her peace She wasn’t selfseeking for attention or praise She let Naomi feel what she needed to feel

T – Trustworthy. Naomi knew she could count on Ruth to provide for them She also knew that Ruth would take her counsel to heart when it came to approaching Boaz about taking care of them Ruth could be trusted to do what needed to be done She proved her dedication and trustworthiness time and again

H – Humble. Ruth was a strong and humble woman She chooses to follow a God she did not know, but who clearly knew her She followed behind the other women gleaning in the fields She didn’t know these women and she was probably ridiculed by them for her heritage and destitute station Yet she persevered She didn’t think she was “too good” to walk behind and gather a few grains of barley She humbly asked permission to be in the field and was grateful when granted permission When Naomi told Ruth to lay at Boaz’s feet (a very humbling posture) to seek his help in caring for them, she did just as she was instructed She allowed herself to be used by God to bring about a future she had no idea was even possible

By society’s standards, characteristics of being responsible, unassuming, trustworthy, and humble may be seen as weak But as we learn from Ruth, God took those traits and blossomed them into a blessing and a future she could never have anticipated In Ruth’s story we see God’s faithfulness –“But the Lord is faithful He will establish you and guard you against the evil one “(2 Thessalonians 3:3, NKJV), just as we can see it in our own lives

As we approach our own challenges – mental, physical, financial – we can do so with an attitude of responsibility, no matter how humbling, proving our trust and without pretense We can be who God created us to be, walking in the divine purpose that he carved out for us And over time we can see our lives blossom with blessings, just as they did for Ruth