Breaking Points-Part One

I'm named after Naomi's daughter-in-law.  And let me tell you.  Those are some big shoes to fill.  Since my name is Ruth, the book of Ruth is my go-to book when I open my Bible and feel directionless.  So I've read it COUNTLESS times.  And yet, this last time I read it I learned the most.

It was surprising to me when I found out that some of my closest friends didn't know the story of Ruth. I didn't have judgement towards them, but because she's my namesake I figured, everybody knows about her, right?  Wrong.  Let's talk about Ruth.  But in order to talk about Ruth we have to start at the beginning.

The first people who come on the scene is Elimelech, his wife and two sons.  No mention of Ruth, she comes later.  The first sentence opens the book by telling us that Elimelech was a sojourner in a foreign land.  The country of Moab to be specific.  This is big because they were Ephrathites.  This means that they were from the town of Bethlehem in Judah.  So they were Israelites.  They were Jewish.  And they had traveled to Moab.  This could only be from necessity.  And we see that it was from necessity.  A terrible famine took hold of Bethlehem.  This is near impossible for us to grasp.  "Oh yea, a famine."  But you (most likely) have no conception of what the heck this means.  You can definitely conjure up some commercial that zooms in on some skin and bone African kids only wearing a piece of cloth covering their privates, while some rich white guy walks through the slums and talks about how your dollar a week can feed kids in Malawi for 12 years all while Sarah McLachlan rips your heart out with some slow, sad ballad in the background.  (Shoot, what did I learn about run-on sentences?....)  But we don't get this.  We have never experienced anything like this.  Even if you've gone hungry for a while, or your family was real poor when you were a kid, we don't really, truly GET this.  Even the poorest American is richer than third world countries.  We have never experienced a famine.  Famine is what drove Elimilech and his family from their Bethlehem home.  I can't imagine how bitter and confused they must have been.  Bethlehem literally translates "House of meat" or "House of Bread".  I can't imagine the thoughts Naomi must have had.  "House of bread my a**."  Ok.  Maybe not, but she was only human.  Bitterness and upset had to have crossed her mind and heart at some point.

Famine in Bethlehem were only the beginning of their troubles.

To sojourn suggests continual travel.  But in the case of this family, it became a more permanent thing. Being an immigrant isn't an easy thing.  It brings a gamete of troubles and woes that I don't understand.  I was born in the states, I've lived my whole life in the states and I don't foresee any major moves in my near future. (Knock on wood?)  I'm a home-body.  For sure.  But Naomi's homesickness went unrelieved thanks to a lack of modern technology.  But homesickness was minor compared to what happened next.  In one sentence Elimelech is wiped off the page and out of the story.  The death of Elimelech was not a milestone Naomi ever desired to cross.  Naomi's heartbreak goes unmentioned for now.  A women loses her husband.  Many women have lost their husbands.  But holy buckets.  Take a second.  A women loses her husband.  I'm sure that Naomi was thrown into grief that would ebb and flow for the rest of her days.  But thank God she still had her boys.

Boys were a big deal back then.  They were a big deal because they were the continuation of a line.  The name carried on thanks to them.  But, girls were a big deal too.  They are the oven for the bun after all.  Naomi's boys were her pride and joy and all that she had left.  Since she was thrown into single-parenthood she had a duty to them.  She had to find them wives.  (We're getting closer to Ruth!  Shoot, spoiler?)  Now here, a problem is posed.  The boys, Mahlon and Chilion are Israelites and they're in Moab.  Moab was not the place to be when searching for that perfect Jewish bride.  In fact, Moab was the last place any Jewish parent wanted to search for a wife for their boys.  Moab was a land descendant from the incestuous encounter between Lot and his oldest daughter.  They served a god who demanded child sacrifice.  In short, Moabite women were a Jewish mother's worst fear.  In that day and age, fathers negotiated arranged marriages.  But with no father to negotiate marriage and no money, land or prospects to entice a Moabite family, the pickings were slim.  To be blunt, Ruth and Orpah were not from choice families.  Things just kept getting worse.  After the marriages to these less than desirable women, a decade passes without any sign of a child.  This, is devastating.  Like I said earlier, a woman was nothing if she was unable to have children.  It's heartbreaking for Ruth, Orpah and Naomi but it's also nothing short of embarrassing.

That's as bad as it gets, right?

Nope.

The sons die next.  Naomi's precious sons.  Ruth and Orpah's beloved husbands.  In another simply constructed sentence they disappear from our minds and concerns.  We're left grieving with Ruth, Orpah and Naomi.  Naomi had nothing now.  Literally.  She's left with no one to carry on the family line.  She's left with two Moabite daughters-in-law.  She's left with the epitome of a broken heart.  She's left with no hope.  In 24 hours, Naomi's already lacking social status hit rock bottom.

I'd like to believe that Naomi's faith in Yahweh, El Shaddai, Adonai Elohim was strong enough to take these blows.  I root for her.  I want her to withstand famine, displacement, widowhood and childlessness.  But come on.  She's a human.  She was lost, heartbroken and utterly shaken.  Many people brush by Naomi.  But I count her as Job.  Her struggles were equally as earth shattering.  If not more!  Job lost his wealth, his children, his health.  But Naomi?  She lost all of that plus her husband.  There was no hope of continuation of her family.  That was a shame and loss that couldn't be healed.  We seem to think that the more mature believers we are, the thicker our spiritual skin will become. It's a sign of spiritual failure when suffering gets the better of us.  BALDERDASH.  This throws us into a downward spiral farther away from the One who can take our suffering and provide hope and peace.

Naomi has a choice to make.  Stay in Moab or return to her hometown with some tiny hope that she would find safety and solace with her relatives.  So she packs up what little she has and leaves with her daughters-in-law in tow.  They get on the road and make it a small way when Naomi abruptly stops them and orders them to go home.  Her determination to carry on without them is ironclad.  Her words are met with astonishing resistance.  I can just imagine that their cries and wails could be heard for at least a mile.  Their grief and tears seem to spill onto my hands as I turn the pages.  Naomi has definitely underestimated the bonds of love and grief.  For the young women, Moab offers hope while Bethlehem only offers permanent widowhood.  Naomi can't stifle her feelings anymore.  She's overwhelmed with grief.  Terrible, abundant grief.  She makes another plea for the girls to return to their families.  Maybe they can get remarried, have families!  After all, they're still so young!  There is potential in Moab.  But that hope does not flow over to Bethlehem.  So Orpah follows her mother-in-law's advice.  She goes home.  With tears and goodbyes, she returns to Moab.  But Ruth, she stays.  Ruth pulls up herself up by the bootstraps and tell Naomi to stop arguing.  Ruth is determined.  It was no halfhearted decision.  It was a commitment to the grave.  And it was less a decision about Naomi and more a decision about God.

Ruth was a risk taker.
She made a decision for God.
And He would bless and reward her for her commitment to Him.

I pray that I will be a risk taker like Ruth.  And I pray that you will be a risk taker like Ruth, too.  Take risks for God and you don't know what you'll get.

But I can guarantee that it'll be good in the end.

"Twuuuu Wuuuuuv!"

I watched the Bachelorette all season, baby.

Let me tell you: the finale was torturous.  Literally torturous.  But!  Emily Maynard, the sweet little southern-drawling belle from Charlotte, North Carolina, was the Bachelorette of the century. 

She was perfect. 

She’s blonde, skinny, and a single-mother with at least one tattoo who has enough self-respect not to sleep with all the guys in the house.  She uses words like “blessed” and phrases like, “God-willing” which makes the Christian sub culture love her.  She’s got a six-year-old daughter, which makes the feminists love her.  She has a few tattoos and just enough mystery that she appeals to a surprising amount of America.  Plus her story is just so crazy, so you immediately empathize with her. 

The season started out with a dose of drama that would entice the most traditional Amish community.  As the season progressed hearts were “broken”, tears were shed by more male models than I’ve ever seen in my life and one little southern belle “dated” 25 men at the same time.  There were spectacular dates, harsh words, breathtaking views of the places visited, and a few cold sores passed around.  As guy after guy got the boot, their emotional rant in their personal interview after the Rose Ceremony went something like, “I’m just so confused.”  Or, “I don’t know what went wrong.” Or, “She’s the love of my life.”  All said with a substantial amount of tears and snot.  Now, this really played to the guys’ advantage because they look sensitive and genuinely heart-broken on national television and they will have a million girls with low self-esteem waiting for them in their hometown airport ready to do anything for a chance at love with this poor, rejected, handsome, heart-broken, booty-call seeking bachelor. 

It was like a car wreck all season.  I couldn’t look away.  There were times when the depth of my soul felt embarrassed and ashamed.  But I didn’t feel embarrassed for the guys.  Heck, they did this to themselves!  Unless they were truly brainwashed by our culture there’s no way they really thought they would ‘find love’ on this nationally televised show. 

No, I felt embarrassed before the Preeminent Father of Love. 

We’ve made love a game.  Love.  We made love a game!  How dare we!?  Love was first shown to us by our Father.  How dare we make a show of it.  How dare we abuse it.  How dare we profit from it.

My embarrassment came with a certain level of conviction.  Isn’t there something I can do to show believers and unbelievers alike that I try to love to the best of my ability; to show them that I won’t make love a joke. 

I want people to think of me, “She loves well because the Father first loved her.”

I hope Emily Maynard is in love with Jef.  I hope he’s a good step-dad for Ricki.  I hope they make it work.  I hope they commit.  But more than those things, I hope Emily Maynard finds true love.  I hope she encounters the love of a Father who will never leave her, never forsake her, and never fail her. 

I hope Emily finds the truest love possible.

Sabbath

sabbath |ˈsabəθ|
noun
1 (often the Sabbath) a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday.

On the seventh day, God rested.

He took time to rest. He has given us minds and bodies and hearts that need rest. And He has given us a specific time in which to do so. God separated us from animals. He gave us working brains and hearts that are tender like His. In the same way we are made in His image and therefore we have a day of rest.

The Sabbath represents delight and refreshment in the presence of God and each other. The Sabbath is a day to rest and relax in order to better serve God in our actions and work the rest of the week. We wake up every day to a world we did not make and a relationship with God that we do not deserve. Our need to be busy and productive takes away and invades the space God cut out for us to rest!

God gave us the Sabbath to say, "Stop and be refreshed in my rest."

He replenishes us. He nourishes us with His faithfulness and His community.

We do not belong here.
This is not our home.
We do not serve a kingdom ruled by the clock and the tyranny of the urgent.
We serve a God who refreshes us and gives us rest.

I thank God for my piece of apple pie.

True statement: If I just get another tattoo, a calculator watch, a new pair of shoes, and a new lens for my camera I will be SO HAPPY.

I will suddenly become completely and totally content and I won't ever want another thing again. Or at least until the new Apple processor comes out this summer! Or until I see a new phone case I want. Or until I see an adorable summer dress I just HAVE to have!

Hold the phone. Sounds like I need to watch Madame Blueberry's Veggie Tale episode again. Stuff Mart didn't do her any good. And it doesn't do us any good either. The culture is great at making me think I just can't live without that certain hair styling product and eye makeup. I just won't be as pretty as the girl who uses that product! And everyone knows I have to be as pretty as her! What would I do if I wasn't!?

News flash America: tons of people survive every day without half the BALDERDASH you buy. So how about you try remembering that the ultimate price was paid for you. So no amount of BALDERDASH will ever make you happy.

Believer, you have joy, happiness, peace and contentment in Christ. So try seeking it in Christ today, rather than in the isle you just turned down as you read this on your smart phone with your cart full of BALDERDASH you simply don't need.

"I thank God for this day/for the sun in the sky/for my mom and my dad/for my piece of apple pie/for our home on the ground/for His love that's all around/that's why I say thanks everyday/because a thankful heart is a happy heart/I'm glad for what I have that's an easy way to start/for the love that He shares/'cause He listens to my prayers/that's why I say thanks everyday."

Such a simple melody and words. But how often we forget them. There's grace for you. And thank God Almighty there's grace for me. Lord knows I need it.

It's Christmas, how can you say no!?

GET THIS.

For you and everyone I know, I have the proposition of a lifetime!! But first let me give you a little background.

As some of you might know, I work at Ridgeview Elementary school in Olathe. It has changed my life and how I look at people. That sounds cliche, but it's SO true. I have seen more abuse, neglect, poverty, pain, suffering, addiction, and bitterness than I've ever seen in my life. The children with whom I have come in contact have absolutely stolen my heart. I didn't know my heart could feel so much love and so much hurt for children I've known for such a short time. I came into this job with the mindset I would bless these kids and I would change their lives for the better. But God blew that idea out of the water. These children have blessed and changed my life more than I ever thought possible. Let me share a couple stories and then I'll give you my proposition.

It was a regular Tuesday when I clocked into work. I wasn't on my game. I didn't have a smile on my face and I didn't really want to be there. At 3:40 when the kids are let out of school they walk down to the cafeteria for a snack and the commencement of Y-care. But this day, as I stood ready to greet the children, (I'm hall monitor) my heart was heavy. I wasn't feeling ready or feeling able to deal with the pain that loving these children brings. As the children started streaming down the hall I saw little faces light up at the sight of me. A chorus of "Hola Miss Ruuuuthi!!!" greeted and warmed my heart. I felt a little hand slip into mine. Bright little eyes met mine with a smile that melted my heart. She said, "Miss Ruthi! I have something for you!" A brown paper bag was pushed into my arms. I knelt to be on her level and look into her vibrant brown eyes. I carefully opened the brown paper bag so as to preserve the delicate wrapping. I reached in to pull out a half empty box of expired cereal. "It was the last box in the kitchen!!" she exclaimed in Spanish. I looked up to see those beautiful brown eyes. My own green eyes filled with tears. She had given me food. In her mind she was enabling my existence. She was enabling me to continue to LIVE. She was showing me love.

Another one of my favorite memories is from a sunny day in September. He and I were playing with chalk on the blacktop of the playground. He drew a heart. I said, "What's that!?" He replied with confidence, "It's a heart! Es un corazon!" He paused with a pensive look on his little first grade face. "I have a heart! And you have a heart! My heart loves you, Miss Ruthi!" I wanted to take him home and make him mine.

If you haven't at LEAST teared up, I'm tempted to question whether you have a heart.

Now after dissing you, my proposition!

In my education class at MidAmerica Nazarene University, we are collecting gifts for the kids at Ridgeview. My professor is friends with the principal at Ridgeview Elementary. So we're collecting brand new clothes, toys and books for my kids! How exciting is that!?!?

So you might be thinking, "I'm a poor college student, I don't have money for those shenanigans!" I beg to differ. If you even buy one Starbucks cup of coffee a week, you have money to buy a toy or socks or a book for children who don't get "new" things. Their idea of "new" is a coat with holes in it. If you have ever looked at a person in need and recognized it and thought, "Wow, I'm blessed", then think that now! Buy a new book for a kid! Buy a new shirt! Buy a new toy! You don't realize HOW MUCH you will bless these children! You will put radiant little smiles on their beautiful faces! You might not be able to see their joy from this, but rest assured I will tell you all about it! And I'll probably cry when telling you!!

So don't think about it. Don't think it's a nice gesture that you should probably do. Follow Nike's advice and "JUST DO IT!" Bless a kid a stone's throw away from you! Please my dear friends, please, join me in blessing these kids.



If you join with me in this I am MORE THAN HAPPY to come pick up the items you buy! If you go to JUCO, bring them to school and I'll come pick them up! If you go to MNU, I'll walk over to your dorm, if you live in Kansas City I WILL DRIVE TO YOU!

THE DEADLINE FOR THE GIFTS IS THE 15TH OF DECEMBER. HAVE THEM TO ME BEFORE THEN!

But even if you don't buy a toy, clothes or a book: PRAY.
Pray for my kids.
Pray that they would see believers in their lives.
Pray that they would feel the love of our precious Jesus Christ.
Pray that they would love Him.

Merry Christmas, my dear friends. God loves us more than we can fathom. How fantastic is that?

P.M.S.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I love these kids. They stole my heart. Thank you for praying for them, and loving them well.

Worship

worship |ˈwər sh əp|
noun
the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity

Worship is the articulation of admiration for something or someone. Worship is often a word that is associated with religion. However, I would contend that everyone worships. If it's not God, or a god, than it's a something or someone. For some it could be money, sex, acceptance, success, or a myriad of other things. These are idols. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, they are idols. Worship is found in the lives of secularists, agnostics, believers and atheists alike. Worship reveals the somethings and someones we value most.

How do we truly worship Christ if we so clearly are torn and broken beings who worship somethings and someones? True worship of our Abba Father happens when we put God first.

Worship is often mistaken for emotion and feeling. But overwhelming emotions we can't explain aren't worship. Just like fuzzy feelings aren't love. Feelings come and go. The joy of the Trinity remains true for all time. In light of the Trinity's beauty and loveliness we everything else on the horizon of our attention takes its proper secondary place. Above and before all other good things remains the Pearl of great price, the King of kings and Lord or lords.

Brothers, worship Christ. He has loved the unloveable. He has forgiven the unforgivable. He has redeemed you. Open your eyes to His mercy and grace and worship!

Holy Communion

communion |kəˈmyoōnyən|
noun
1 the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, esp. when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level

Communion. The table where we come to remember Christ's ultimate sacrifice for us. God's radical rescue of mankind and the Old Testament sacrifices of blood are tied together in this beautiful Supper of remembrance. Jesus was the innocent lamb who came for us. How could any human turn away from that gift? Christ opened a door from death to life, from disobedience to relationship, from detachment to unity. How lovely is the gift of His love for us. Communion invites us into relationship with Christ. This sacred table nourishes us and strengthens us with heavenly food. It is the table of eternal union and communion.

Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again. Christian, delight in that fact. He will come again. He will come for you.

Participating in the the Lord's Supper is a lovely reminder for me. A reminder of the sacrifice my God has made for ME. He came to earth in human form to die for MY life. He died to save ME. Every time I take communion my heart breaks with joy for His ultimate gift to me. The only thing I could hope to receive from the table is what I do receive. Hope for a better life. Hope in Christ. Hope in Heaven. He gives me hope in Him. I receive Christ at His table.

The Lord of light stepped forth and said, "This is my body broken for you."

Christian, hope in Christ. Commune with Christ.