January 1, 2010 - The book of Ruth

Perhaps because I am recently widowed myself, I chose the book of Ruth to begin the new year. The book of Ruth is located in the Old Testament and tells the story of one of Jesus' ancestors.

I read with fresh eyes the story of Naomi and Ruth, both widows and on their own in a world that was certainly not friendly to their plight. Left bereft of financial support, like me, they decide they must make their own way in the world. While I have not yet chosen to uproot and move on, I certainly understand their desire to do so. There is nothing left for them there.

The whole story of Ruth is one of loyalty and of love. Ruth and Naomi are loyal to each other; they count on each other. Naomi sees to it that Ruth is taken care of after she is gone.

What comes to me as I read this story is that at the time, neither Ruth nor Naomi would know that we would be reading about them 3 thousand years later. They couldn't possibly know that their names would be inscribed for all time as part of the lineage of the Savior of the world. They were just two women, doing the best they could with what they had. They were just two women leading their lives from one day to the next, living and loving, having babies, cooking meals, worshiping the God of their understanding. And yet, here I am, thousands of years later, reading their story and marveling at how God works in mysterious ways.

Which leads me to this conclusion....we can never know what our words and our actions will have in the long run. Will thousands of years pass and someone be reading my story?

I make a jump now...to the understanding that we never know, when we leave someone, if the words we speak to them will be the last words they will hear from our lips. When you leave the house to go the grocery store, or to work, what are your last words? I am so very blessed...when I went to the hospital that morning before I went to work to see Chipper, the last words I said to him were, "See you tonight. I love you." And he answered, "I love you too, dear." What a blessing; what a wonderful blessing. It brings me such peace to know that the last words we said to each other were words of love.

So, Naomi and Ruth, two widows just trying to make the best of a bad situation, go on become a part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. I cannot know what God has in store for me, but I do know that when I let God do the leading, even if I don't know where we're going or how we're going to get there, that in the end, it will all turn out all right.

Many blessings to you, dear readers, in the coming year. I don't know what story God will lead me to tomorrow. I guess we'll have to wait for tomorrow to find out!