Ruth

I believe that names are important. I believe that a name carries significance, both in the meaning of the name, and the people who have carried that name in the past. Maybe my life would have taken the course it has no matter what my name was, but this morning God put a spotlight on some things that I think are very interesting.

My middle name is Ruth. I’m named after my grandmother, who very well may be the Godliest woman I’ve ever met. I consider it an honor to bear her name. And you could probably guess that I’ve always loved the book of Ruth in the Bible. Like most women, I have always seen it as an amazing story of love, friendship, honor, and, above all, God’s providence. When I was in high school and college, I discovered the book, Lady in Waiting, which pointed to Boaz’s pursuit of Ruth as the ideal in courtship. I was even more enthralled by the romance of the story. (Although I was later told that guys in college hated to hear that their girlfriends were reading the book-- were there unrealistic expectations, or simply too much pressure?!?) And, as a chronically single woman, I confess that I have been waiting for my Boaz—waiting patiently for whatever the Lord brings my way, if He sees fit, but still waiting. Don’t get me wrong- I’m not waiting for my life to start. I have definitely lived, and I’ve been trying to follow the Lord wherever He leads, doing whatever He asks. But deep down inside, I have also been waiting for my Ruth story to start.

What I didn’t realize is that I’m already in my story. As I reread the story of Ruth for the umpteen-hundredth time, it struck me that Ruth’s story didn’t start when she met Boaz. It started long before. Boaz wasn’t the first man Ruth loved. Before Boaz, there was Mahlon. Ruth loved Mahlon, and had planned for a life with him. He was her future. He was her hope. She looked at him and saw a man whose children she would bear, a man whose home she would keep, a man who she would grow old with. She had no idea that all those dreams for the future would fall apart.

When Mahlon died, Ruth’s plans for the future fell apart. Who was she? What would she do? Where would she go? She could have done anything. She could have stayed at home, could have continued where she was, could have mourned Mahlon forever. But she didn’t. She picked herself up, heard the Lord calling her to a new place, a foreign land, and she went. She looked to see where her opportunities were. She followed. She served. And she continued serving until God changed her future again.

I am Ruth. I loved a man. I planned a life with him. I chose names for our children. I had a future.  And I watched it all fall apart when his love for me and for the Lord died. I was broken. I was lost. And yet, I knew that God was faithful and His love for me was neverending. I committed, like Ruth, to simply follow Him. To be faithful and listen to where He was calling me. I left my home and moved to a foreign land. I have learned that God, and God alone, is my Hope and my Future. So it is in this foreign land that I serve my Holy God, my Hope, my Future.

I might not ever marry. I might not ever have children. As I was reading Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel this morning, God spoke to me in Elkanah’s words to Hannah: “Am I not better to you than ten sons?” (Or daughters? Or a wonderful husband?) And I had to say, “Yes, Lord, You are better. You are what I desire more than a husband, more than a family, more than a houseful of children. If I am single for the rest of my life, I will still love You. I will still serve You.”

Do I still long for my Boaz? Absolutely. I want my story to end the way Ruth’s does. But just as God was faithful to her and provided for her exactly what she needed at exactly the right time, He will be faithful to me. He already has been. My story is beautiful. And I can’t wait to read the Author’s next chapter.