BIBLICAL PROFILES

by Julie Jenkins

A Lesson From Naomi

When we think of Naomi, whose story is told in the book of Ruth, we often associate her with strength and wisdom. Naomi was instrumental in welcoming her once-pagan daughter-in-law, Ruth, into God’s family; Ruth actually became a direct ancestor of Jesus—now that’s a victory! But like us, Naomi’s life was not always smooth sailing— rough waters created a time when she felt like she might drown.

The truth is, sometimes all we need is a life preserver. Thankfully, like Naomi, we can rest in God’s power as He keeps us afloat.

My husband and I recently took a cruise with extended family. To give you some background, my other half has been a fish since birth— growing up snorkeling, deep-sea diving, and surfing. And, while I share an affinity for the water, I suffer from severe motion sickness. But when you’ve been married for over 28 years, sometimes you have to take one for the team. So not only did we book the cruise, but we also chose an adventure of “extreme snorkeling” for the day we would be docked at Grand Turk in Turks and Caicos. To prepare, I purchased a Reliefband—an electronic device that emits an impulse on the median nerve under the wrist to reduce nausea and vomiting—and hoped for the best!

The Reliefband worked well during our voyage on the large ship, and it even kept me feeling steady as we headed out in the small boat for our snorkeling tour. I had a new lease on life as I ventured out onto the open sea without my body revolting! Donning snorkeling gear, we began swimming in the most beautifully crystal-clear water I had ever seen— marveling at the schools of fish circling. But as time passed, lo and behold, I began to feel weak. Acutely aware of what was happening, I yelled to our guide that I was heading back to the small boat. I swam slowly, feeling weaker and weaker as motion sickness began to overtake me.

Our guides had instructed us that if we needed assistance, we were to wave our arms and yell. They even said, “If you calmly raise your hands and don’t yell, we may miss you. If you need help, be sure to splash and make a loud noise.”

But as I struggled, now barely paddling my way through the water, I thought, I don’t have the energy to wave my arms or yell. A situation that had started out so promising had quickly turned sour, and there wasn’t much I could do except continue mustering the energy to move toward the boat.

Still, the day was beautiful. The water was calm. And the saving grace was that I had a life jacket on. The truth was I could lean my head back and rest, allowing the life jacket to keep my increasingly ailing body afloat.

Naomi and her husband had been living in their hometown of Bethlehem when the tide turned against her. First, there was a famine, so the couple and their sons moved to Moab. While they were there, Naomi’s husband died. Then, both of her sons died.

Naomi was struggling, becoming weaker as circumstances overtook her. But thankfully, she had a life jacket—God was holding her above the waters of the world, even when she felt He was against her.

Naomi returned to her home country, but when people greeted her by name, she replied, “Don’t call me Naomi,...Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me” (Ruth 1:20-21 NIV).

Naomi had lost her strength. She had told her daughters-in-law to return to their fathers and her friends that all she could do was wallow in bitterness. But our loving God became her life jacket. His protection enveloped her, bringing her family members she didn’t even know He had intended for her. When Naomi was floundering, God provided an abundant life she never could have “swam to” on her own.

Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your strength? Sometimes, life’s events can knock the wind out of us, swallowing us with grief, dismay, or physical distress. When the tide turns against us, the world tells us to be strong, to take the next step, to “buck up” and move forward. There are times when that is appropriate, but sometimes, we simply have nothing left to give. When we no longer have the strength to rise up or wave our arms and yell, we can be still, fully trusting our God. He will never leave us or forsake us.

God held onto Naomi. And He will hold onto you, too, no matter what threatens to overtake you.

In my story, I’m sure you can deduce that I made it back to the boat. The rest of the day was a bit rough, but that’s a tale for another day.

I will never forget the lesson God impressed on me as I became weaker and weaker that day in the water: He is in control. With God, we never need to yell or splash about to get His attention. He is always watching. God’s got this. He’s got all this. He will keep us afloat when we are weak, provide more than we will ever need, and, most importantly, carry us where we should go.

Naomi will tell you.