Invite the Lord’s blessing:

Ruth 4:11

“And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “ We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.” Who are witnesses to your life?

Must we constantly pick sides? Must we be labeled either Republican or Democrat, for or against every issue of life or the public square? Don’t get me wrong; there are causes I would fight for, die for, live for. But how easily I become what I fight against!

Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you:

Ruth 4:1

“Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down.” Are you in any way at a gate, a cross road, a choice to be made:

Ruth 3:11“And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.” To what situation is He telling you, “And now, my daughter, do not fear. “?

Why did Boaz promise Ruth to do for her all that she requested?

My son, my firstborn graduated high school yesterday. The awareness of letting go spent all our tears – probably a necessary catharsis. Yes, the little feisty boy who scaled every doorway and then pounced on us like a ninja is gone. Yes, I miss holding him on my lap and for a moment believing I was everything he needed.

Security

Tell your Father why you love Him:

Ruth 3:1

“Then Naomi her mother- in- law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?” What comes to mind when you think of security?

Open your heart to your Father:

Ruth 2:19

“And her mother- in- law said to her, “ Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.”

So she told her mother- in- law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” Underline what most speaks to you and tell Him about it:

Comfort without Comparison

Ask your Father to show you His love afresh:

Ruth 2:13

“Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.” Describe comfort:

Like the pressure of a slowly approaching tropical storm, this was a year of gradually increasing weight on my aging shoulders. Too much for one so clumsy in life, still learning to be an adult despite the spiderweb of lines on my face.

I have informed my Maker of this on countless occasions.

Pain cast heavy shadows in the lines around your mouth, yet a will to persevere flowed through your lips,

Your eyes testified of agony and of battles fought and lost in loneliness, yet a tender vulnerability peered through, calling out to be embraced.

“So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “ Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “ Go, my daughter.”

Why do you think the Author mentions Ruth’s nationality, but not Naomi’s?

“Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin

Dance me through the panic ’til I’m gathered safely in

Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove

Dance me to the end of love”

~ Leonard Cohen

No pain pierces me more than that of watching helplessly when a loved one is in agony like an unprotected nerve, it sends jolts of sharp shocks through my system, and everything inside me is in that primal, raw state of I must act! I must stop this. Now!

More than any other verse in the Bible, this one has preserved me through all kinds of seasons in life. It is still my retreat, my protection, and my reservoir of beauty. To my easily frazzled soul, torn by the many voices of responsibilities, this Scripture has become my oasis from where I sift through the demands from outside the garden, as well as my own loud emotions.

Welcome to my virtual garden at the ocean’s edge. Come, lean into the winds blowing from eternity and let them touch you where you need it most. This is a place of holding raw reality in open hands to the Creator Who gives beauty for ashes, Who understands every fluttering heart beat, and Who loves us at our worst.