I Am Ruth, Part 3

As I continue my study of Ruth, I find myself more and more excited. What a model of godliness this precious sister is. What a wonderful mother-in-law Naomi is.

Naomi is so concerned for Ruth. She wants to ensure that Ruth is well taken care of. She knows that Boaz is probably the one to take care of her. But, she wants to make sure that Ruth approaches Boaz in a right and honorable way.

Naomi doesn't want to create a scandal that would reflect poorly on Ruth or on Boaz.

Naomi wants Ruth to approach Boaz in a way that is respectful.

Naomi wants Ruth to pursue Boaz in a way that is humble.

Naomi advises her dear daughter-in-law

• Wash yourself - Make yourself clean. Get rid of the grime. Confess your sins and be forgiven.
• Anoint yourself - Anoint yourself with sweet smelling oil. Put on your best perfume. But also anoint yourself as the woman you are, the wonderful, godly, humble, beautiful woman that you are.
• Put on your best garment - Don't just put on your comfy sweats or your pajamas. You are a beautiful woman, dress so that he notices.
• Go to him - Don't wait for him to come to you, but go to him. But...
• Don't make yourself known - Don't brazenly pursue him. Don't make a spectacle of yourself. Don't try and get thousands of likes on your best selfie.
• Notice where he lies down - Pay attention to his routine. Know where he goes to rest. Know where he goes to restore himself.
• Go in, uncover his feet, and lie down - Humble yourself. Approach him as a servant. Show him the respect he is due. Show him that you are his.

As I think about my man, I want to be my best for him. I want to look my best for him. But most of all, I want him to know that I am there to help him, to honor him, and respect him.

Linking up with precious sisters

• Holley Gerth

Thank You Thursday

Today I continue my series of thanking women who have had an impact on my life and who have in one way or another influenced me to become the woman I am today. I'll be honest with this one - I'm not sure I remember her name correctly. But, our brief time together left it's imprint on my life.

Thank you Christy

I was in my twenties and on AOL (Who remembers the sweet sound of "You've Got Mail"). I aspired to be a better woman and was seeking out opportunities to meet other like-minded women who would challenge me and encourage me.

I met Christy on AOL and found that we had a lot in common. Our chats online proved to be a great encouragement to me. I had many questions and she gracefully had answers.

She was part of a group that sounded like it would be a great support to me. One where I could make friends and be encouraged to grow as a young woman. Christy was delighted to tell me more about it.

We agreed to meet for lunch one day. After lunch we would head over to my apartment and talk further. This would serve as my interview to join her group. If all went well, I would be in and on my way to becoming the better woman I longed to be.

I waited eagerly for our lunch date to arrive. I got to the restaurant a little early and waited for Christy to arrive. And I waited. And waited.

She finally arrived - almost an hour late. This was long before I had a cell phone and she had no way to reach me and let me know that something had come up at work and she would be late.

We did have a nice chat over lunch. By the time it was time to head over to my apartment, my lunch hour was long over and I declined. We never got to the interview. I never joined her group.

In my impatience, I had written her and her group off. My impatience held me back from a lot of things in that season of my life. It's sad to say that I may have missed a lot of blessings because I couldn't wait for them.

In the years since, I have become much more patient. If only it had happened so much more quickly ;-)

So for reminding me of how patience is a virtue and how much I need it in my life, I say thank you Christy.

I Am Ruth, Part 2

As I continue my study of the book of Ruth, I continue to be impressed with what a humble, faithful woman Ruth was. In chapter two, I see more attributes of this godly sister that I want to emulate.

• She humbled herself before Boaz - She bowed down in respect of Boaz showing both the respect she had for him and the humility she had in her life. Do I show the respect and humility in my life?
• She sought favor in his eyes - She wanted her actions and even her mere presence to be pleasing to Boaz. I want those in my life to be pleased with me. Am I being intentional about my life being pleasing to those around me?
• She affirmed Boaz for the good he had done to her - She wanted him to know that the good he had done for her did not go unnoticed. I've been very intentional lately with telling those around me of the good I see in them and the good I've seen them do. I want to be a blessing to those who have blessed me!

This precious sister has been a great encouragement to me. My prayer is that I can be a virtuous woman like her!

Linking up with other precious sisters:

• Worth Beyond Rubies
• Holley Gerth
• Wise Woman Linkup

Thank You Thursday

I recently got back in touch with a friend that I haven't seen in years. It was great to reconnect and to see what God has done in our lives since we last saw each other.

I go to thinking about the many women that have crossed my path over the years that I've long since lost contact with. There are so many women with whom I've shared sweet fellowship. Even though our fellowship may have been brief or may have been a long time ago, I am thankful for them and how I've seen Christ in them and how in some way, I've become the woman I am today because of them.

So starting today and continuing on successive Thursdays, I want to tell you of these women and what they've meant to me.

Thank you Jackie

When I first met Jackie, I was in my late teens. She was in her late twenties and she was a wife and mother and a leader in a friend's youth group. She was patient, thoughtful, and very observant. She saw things in me that I thought I was hiding so that no one could ever see them.

She was very much the model of a Titus 2 woman. She was reverent. She was a role model. She and her husband taught me what it meant to love God with my heart, mind, soul, and strength and my neighbor as myself. She showed what it looked like to love and respect her husband and to love and nurture her son. She showed me unconditional love. She encouraged me to overcome specific sins I was struggling with.

Sadly, after I went away to college, I didn't see much more of Jackie. She still encouraged my growing faith and was happy to sit with me the few times I was around and able to visit with her.

Thank you Jackie for showing me the kind of woman that I still aspire to be!

What about you, who are the women that you are thankful for?

Linkups

• Linking up with Crystal Storms

I Am Ruth, Part 1

I've been reading and studying Ruth lately and it has been wonderful (and I've just finished chapter 1). It is an amazing tale of redemption even in the first chapter! God is so good.

As I've been reading, I've been trying to place myself in Ruth's shoes, and I have seen things in the text that I may have glossed over before. Here's some of what I've been encouraged by so far:

• Elimelech and his family set out from Bethlehem to find food - not to be missionaries.
  God's plans were bigger than Elimelech and Naomi's plans. Why should that be a surprise to me? How many times have I set out to do something and God did so much more than I had even imagined?
• Ruth was separated from God
  Ruth was a Moabitess and the God of Israel was not her God. She wasn't seeking after God - but God was seeking after her! Before I came to know Christ, I may have gone to church every Sunday, but I wasn't seeking Christ. Just like Ruth, he sought me out. How glad am I that he did!
• It was through relationship that Ruth came to know of God's love
  Through the witness of her mother-in-law Naomi, Ruth came to know of God's love. God may have also revealed himself to Ruth through her ten years of marriage. There are many people who demonstrated God's love to me including Jackie, my youth pastor's wife. Yes, she told me of God's love but much more importantly she showed my God's love in how she lived her life.
• Ruth's life was radically changed because of her encounter with the living God
  After the death of her husband, she was given the option to go back to her old way of life and press the "reset" button. Because her life had been so radically changed, she refused (don't you make me do this!) to go back but instead chose to follow Naomi to a land she never know, to be around a people that weren't hers, but... to serve a God that she had come to know and love! My life in Christ is so much more than my life without Him could ever be. Go back to the way it was before I knew Christ? May it never be. I will choose Christ!

How wonderful it is to be able to relate to this precious sister of mine - Ruth! I am thankful for the message of love and redemption seen in her life and I am so blessed that I too know God's redeeming love!

Linking up with Holley Gerth!

Joining the Wise Woman Linkup!