Ruth 1:16 (NIV) But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
Do you consider yourself a loyal person? When circumstances surrounding you are at the darkest point and it seems there is no sign of light, do you stay or go? It could be any circumstance: relationship, job, friendship. I believe loyalty in our society today is at an all-time low. Feelings get hurt, tensions rise, silence grows, people walk out the door and on to the next “thing” before they even bother trying to communicate through issues and resolve conflict.
Plain and simple: Relationships have become disposable.
There is a women in the Bible who shows us that we can remain loyal in the midst of difficult circumstances. Her name is Ruth and her story is told in a book by the same name. Ruth’s story begins in the midst of very difficult circumstances. Her husband has died and her mother-in-law, Naomi, is encouraging her to go back to her homeland, Moab, but Ruth won’t go. She remains loyal to Naomi. Because of her loyalty God rewards her greatly, but it doesn’t happen immediately. She will have to encounter some pretty difficult situations, yet they will not defeat or define her. She will look to God to be her strength and her protection facing her circumstances with kindness, and integrity. Eventually she becomes the great-grandmother of King David and is listed in the lineage of Christ. How’s that for a reward?
It’s amazing how God can work in our circumstances for good if we wait on Him and let Him work in the midst of the difficulty. No matter how devastating our present situation, our eyes and our hope must remain on Christ. We must also believe that He can work in the life of ANY person or situation knowing full well that His resources and wisdom are infinite.
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. (Psalm 86:11 – 12 – NRSV)
