Ruth: Stop pushing me away, insisting that I stop following you! Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will also die and be buried there near you. May the Eternal One punish me—and even more so—if anything besides death comes between us. Ruth 1:16-17 Voice
I was re-reading the Introduction to my soon-to-be-released book, The Power of Hope for Caregivers: Honor the Ride. I was struck once again with Ruth’s loyalty. It would one of the greatest personal qualities she possessed. She did not choose the easy road of returning to what she knew. Instead, she clung to her mother-in-law who was a bitter, angry woman after the deaths of her husband and two sons.
I would like to honor your loyalty if you are a caregiver.
Here’s how I put it in the book:
“Ruth and Naomi stood there, staring into the distance until Orpah’s silhouette disappeared on the horizon. They slowly turned around and stepped into the flowing water to cross the Jordan River. Each time that Naomi would stumble, Ruth would help her. They somehow made it across the treacherous waters and continued on their journey to Bethlehem.
This is how I imagine the details of the story of Ruth in the Bible. It reads like a rags-to-riches romance novel with a main protagonist who was an unlikely heroine with a shady past. There are few details given, yet many clues that give us insight into what motivated this powerful hope ambassador. We have the benefit of knowing the end of the story and it’s a wonderful ending. At this point in her life, however, Ruth was essentially giving up her future happiness and the prospect of finding a husband and giving birth to children in order to care for Naomi. Even after caring for an invalid husband for ten years, she was willing to rewrite the final chapters of her mother-in-law’s life through powerful hope and honor. Ruth embraced honor with obedience to God and devoted her life to serving willingly and lovingly. In turn, her heart of service and hard work opened the way to unprecedented favor and carried her to a great future.
Ruth’s decision to honor her mother-in-law earned her a spot in the Bible and a place in the lineage of the Messiah. We will explore more details of the special relationship between these two amazing women in later chapters. Suffice it to say that here Ruth’s future was uncertain, yet she knew that she was headed in the right direction with renewed hope and purpose.”
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This is a blog written as a part of Five Minute Friday prompt. Please join a vibrant community who blogs for five minutes on one word every Friday by clicking here.
Author, speaker, corporate trainer, ordained minister and Hope Catalyst, Karen Sebastian enjoys sharing her rich life experiences with others – engaging them in adventurous discoveries of the beauty of hope in a dark, cloudy world. Her books will inspire you to embrace hope no matter what you are going through. To increase hope and improve relationships with yourself and those that you love check out her Facebook page – The Power of Hope. Karen’s third book on hope – The Power of Hope for Caregivers: Honor the Ride will be released on 11.20.18.
