Just Where You Are

Shalom dear friends and sisters in Yeshua! I hope this post finds you all well and warm. It’s been rather cold the last couple of weeks (at least for our Australian and Southern Hemisphere sisters! Our American and Northern Hemisphere sisters will probably have a very different tale to tell). Everything is so beautiful and green and full of life!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Shavuot! As always, it was such an up-building and encouraging feast as we remember and thanked God for the giving of the Torah and His Holy Spirit. And of course, remembering Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi! I love how Ruth left everything behind to follow and seek God alongside the Jewish people, grafting herself in and taking their lot upon herself, and what an impact it had, even though the Israelites at the time where going through a tough time during the period of the Judges.

Ruth knew that even though God’s people weren’t perfect, they were still His chosen people, and she realized that she wanted to be part of those promises, not to go and change their opinion and point out their mistakes, but to go and quietly live a holy life among them. Even if she didn’t fully agree with their ways, she vowed to go where they go, stay where they stay, and die where they die, choosing to believe God has a plan for everyone, and that He wasn’t done with His people. She wanted to be part of that amazing redemption and story!

Ruth lived her convictions quietly and modestly, serving Naomi in the home. It was her quiet devotion, love, loyalty, even when it was hard, and serving that caused her to receive attention from those around her. She didn’t barge in, proclaiming what she knew, working to make her mark in history. No, she came humbly, regarding others as more important than herself, while keeping her self-respect and remembering God’s opinion of her.

These mountains are the mountains in which David and his men hid from King Saul. Way off in the distance, you can see the mountains of Moab, and only a brief journey from where this photo was taken is the city of Bethlehem. Naomi and Ruth would have travelled through this region on their way home.

Ruth became one of the most admired and respected woman in Biblical history. Why? Ruth didn’t go out into the world. She didn’t make up a new religion that seemed ‘’right’’ to her, even though she lived in one of the most challenging times in Israel’s history. She didn’t go out to make loads of money and live in fashion. Ruth didn’t try to prove herself in that she was worthy to be part of God’s people, that she could be just as good or better than they were. She knew what God thought of her, that He loved and cherished her, that He believed in her, and that was enough.

Ruth chose the best in life. She chose love, family, and fulfilling her biblical place as a woman of valour. She trusted God and chose to do as He said, even though she probably didn’t always agree or understood. Ruth believed that God was and is always good, even though she couldn’t see what good could possibly come out of her situation and hardship. She chose to do her bit with a smile, anyway. And through serving in love and joy, she became one of the amazing women who made up King David’s, and later Yeshua’s, bloodline.

To me, Ruth’s testimony is an encouragement to live life to the fullest, living out our God-given roles in faith, modesty, and courage. Even though Ruth didn’t get life served to her on a silver plate, even though she left her family and the life she knew behind, she stepped into true freedom and true fulfilment. She worked hard and became a servant, ultimately serving God and being faithful with what He had given her today. She served and honoured Him in the everyday, seemingly mundane tasks, and He rewarded her with the honour of becoming the third matriarch from the nations in David’s family tree.

Her work and faithfulness, even though her promise was hard to keep, is still an inspiration to all who read her story today. So, if you’re going through a tough time or feel that your life is meaningless - remember Ruth, and how, even though she was gleaning grain, a widow, and an outsider to those to whom she swore loyalty, just did her best to serve God with what was right in front of her. It couldn’t always have been easy. But God was with her and made her a shining light when she trusted Him for the outcome and just took her place quietly.

God’s love, favour, and grace are unsearchable!

Shavua Tov!

Matthew 5:3-12

''Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in Heaven is great!''

Jeremiah 17:7-8

''Blessed is the one who trusts in ADONAI, whose confidence is in ADONAI. For he will be like a tree planted by the waters, spreading out its roots by a stream. It has no fear when heat comes, but its leaves will be green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor depart from yielding fruit.''

1 John 4:16

''So we have come to know and trust in the love that God has for us.''