Whenever I approach this book, I put a little smirk on my face. Yes, this is the book where a woman was bold enough to propose to a man. Yes, this is the book that has a foreign woman as the main character. And yes, there’s a love story between a man and a woman, and it’s in the Bible.
But today, this book showed me something that I needed to see. I didn’t know until today that Ruth followed Naomi, not only because she wanted to be faithful and loyal to her mother-in-law, but also because she wanted to follow God and not turn back to her old idol. As she became a Christian and tasted God’s goodness, she chose the dead-end life, which was leading her to a foreign land without any security.
I asked myself if I can do that. Put myself to a dead-end road because that’s where God is going to be. There’s no guarantee, promise, or confirmation from God (I don’t know if Ruth received any of these), but you still go simply because you love God. So many times, trust and faith are emphasized in our journey with God, but really, how many times do I have faith because I love Him? A lot of the times, I blame myself for lacking discipline or not having enough strength. But Ruth showed me something different. When faith comes from love, it no longer looks courageous or obedient. It just seems so natural because you are going after what your heart desires.
Naomi. She told other women to call her Mara because of her bitterness. At first, I didn’t really recognize her pain. But when some girls pointed out, her loss pierced my heart. Based on the way her daughters-in-law wept aloud and not wanting to leave her, I could see how loving Naomi must have been to them. Yet this noble woman of God lost everything. But God brought her back into fullness. And it was crazy to learn how the Bible says the son was born to Naomi even though this son was born between Boaz and Ruth. Naomi went on a crazy roller coaster, only to find God’s faithfulness in the end.
For the past few weeks, I have been discouraged by the fact that I don’t trust God enough. I asked how to trust Him and all I could beg was to show me mercy. But God points back to the very basic of all my struggles. I can only go so far if I focus on self-discipline. I have asked God for discipline and strength. But I don’t think that’s how I can push through this season. I need to restore and refocus on my love for God. A walk with God is not a race. It’s not a fight. It’s a love story. Sure, there will be obstacles and sins that I will need to fight through. But really, that’s not the point. The purpose of this walk isn’t to become perfect. It’s simply to walk, with God who writes our love story as the author of our faith.
Restoration of faith needs to start from restoration of love.
