Love in Transition
Isn’t it amazing how someone else’s life can appear put-together, blessed, and beautiful from our perspective? But the reality is that most of the time, we have absolutely no idea what they may be really facing. I personally love the book of Ruth and always have for this very reason. She has so many places in her life, representing order, life’s seasons, and forced circumstances, that she had no choice but to deal with whether she wanted to or not.
For a season, Ruth had the best life, from what people could see. She had married, joined a new family, and was building a home. Then death knocked on the door in a big way. She was forced to make a choice. Many choices. She lost her husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law. In a moment, we see three women dealing with grief and trying to navigate their next steps, the ultimate picture of vulnerability. In the end, all three women made very different choices. A sister-in-law parted ways. A mother-in-law became the follower, not the leader, and Ruth became a caregiver. This transition is precious to me. It gives me hope for us in those places that we may have no idea how to move forward, but God does.
When we are faced with transitions in life, choices sit heavy. Responsibility appears daunting and overbearing. Our vulnerability shines through whether we approve it to make an appearance or not. Maybe you haven’t faced something that has changed the trajectory of your life yet. But for most of us, this place of beauty or darkness has shown its face. My question for your heart today is, what does this look like for you? Most of us don’t have an honest answer and really need a close friend's perspective of our reality.
This leads me to my last question. Have you ever let someone get close to you in your most vulnerable moments? If not, you won’t find judgment here. But I would encourage you to ask Jesus to help you find a few people that love you at your worst, just like Ruth shows us. Not only will we personally experience hard things in life, but so will the people around us. Are we living a life that leads us to love people when they don’t even know they need it?
PRAYER: Jesus, help us to see people’s hearts the way You do. Prune our hearts so we are ready for when You prompt us to move. We love You.
“Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my God;” - Ruth 1:16
“When Naomi saw that Ruth had her heart set on going with her, she gave in. And so the two of them traveled on together to Bethlehem.” - Ruth 1:18
For a season, Ruth had the best life, from what people could see. She had married, joined a new family, and was building a home. Then death knocked on the door in a big way. She was forced to make a choice. Many choices. She lost her husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law. In a moment, we see three women dealing with grief and trying to navigate their next steps, the ultimate picture of vulnerability. In the end, all three women made very different choices. A sister-in-law parted ways. A mother-in-law became the follower, not the leader, and Ruth became a caregiver. This transition is precious to me. It gives me hope for us in those places that we may have no idea how to move forward, but God does.
When we are faced with transitions in life, choices sit heavy. Responsibility appears daunting and overbearing. Our vulnerability shines through whether we approve it to make an appearance or not. Maybe you haven’t faced something that has changed the trajectory of your life yet. But for most of us, this place of beauty or darkness has shown its face. My question for your heart today is, what does this look like for you? Most of us don’t have an honest answer and really need a close friend's perspective of our reality.
This leads me to my last question. Have you ever let someone get close to you in your most vulnerable moments? If not, you won’t find judgment here. But I would encourage you to ask Jesus to help you find a few people that love you at your worst, just like Ruth shows us. Not only will we personally experience hard things in life, but so will the people around us. Are we living a life that leads us to love people when they don’t even know they need it?
PRAYER: Jesus, help us to see people’s hearts the way You do. Prune our hearts so we are ready for when You prompt us to move. We love You.
“Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my God;” - Ruth 1:16
“When Naomi saw that Ruth had her heart set on going with her, she gave in. And so the two of them traveled on together to Bethlehem.” - Ruth 1:18
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