Everything

One of my favorite books of the Old Testament is the story of Ruth. There are the obvious inspirations of devotion, friendship and – above all – loyalty but beyond that what really grabs my attention is how magnificent one decision in one woman’s life ended up being. It was not an easy decision, when Ruth decided to stay by the side of her mother-in-law, Naomi – even Naomi advised her to the contrary.

These two women had lost everything; not a little bit but all they had. In society today the word ‘everything’ has become diminished in intensity. It has become a vague summation used for our own immediate convenience. In the days of Ruth, however, when all was lost there were little opportunities to recover. No bailouts in Moab, see?

Both women had lost their husbands, as had Ruth’s sister-in-law. They were without families of their own, career, money, futures and hope. Ruth was young, too young to stay by Naomi’s side, and out of compassion for her son’s wife, Naomi urged her to return to her mother. But in a moment of pure devotion, Ruth gave to her mother-in-law an answer that proved where her heart belonged:

But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.” – Ruth 1:16-17 (NKJV)

Imagine for a moment if more of us demonstrated such strength and commitment in this day and age. There was nothing awaiting them in Bethlehem, no home, no job, certainly no riches; but still Ruth journeyed. Be it her love for Naomi or a desire to follow the God of her husband’s family, Ruth took a chance. She took a chance on Naomi, on leaving behind her homeland and all that she knew.

In Bethlehem, Ruth took work gleaning in the fields; essentially picking up grain that had fallen to the wayside. It was the only means she had and through her work, her rewards began to show. One such field belonged to Boaz, an indirect relative of Naomi who took kindness on Ruth. Boaz went so far as to tell his men to leave larger portions of grain behind so that Ruth might gather it.

From that point, Boaz became something of a guardian towards Ruth and Naomi. None ever took advantage of the other. Under Naomi’s advice, Ruth went to Boaz and in one simple gesture let it be known that she would be wife to him. Eventually Boaz did take Ruth as his wife and from their marriage, something truly amazing happened:

“So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.” – Ruth 4:13-17 (NKJV)

From King David, we can extend the lineage of Ruth to Bethlehem’s most famous birth: Jesus Christ. As a fan of the little things, the small moments, the small details, this just blows my mind. What if, in that moment on the road between Moab and Bethlehem, Ruth had listened to Naomi’s advice and returned to her mother? It certainly wouldn’t have been a frowned-upon decision, would it?

No, everything (there’s that word again) hinged on a single decision. Ruth’s decision to walk the less traveled road, to take the chance and not the easy way, forever earned her a place in history. A stranger in a foreign land, a woman who had nothing, was part of the greatest bloodline in Biblical history. Even when everything had been lost, the smallest decisions still mattered. In Ruth’s case, the decision contributed to the forgiveness of all mankind.

The Bible has stopped being written, but those who choose to follow Christ are still called upon to follow that less traveled road. We could easily turn away from the adversity or just sit down and give up. We could refuse to take a chance on one another. But maybe there’s something greater in store – before eternity.

I choose to believe that every day presents us with the opportunity to start anew. Sure we’re going to struggle and fail along the way but we can’t be held back by that. May we all be more mindful of the chances we take and the decisions we make. After all, we never know when one decision might affect.…