But you see, the crisis we face today isn't only with the world economy.
We are faced with potential crises everyday.
Work.
Relationships.
Family.
Confidence.
Self worth.
Fear.
Prestige.
Control.
Loneliness.
Anger.
Forgiveness.
Bitterness.
So many issues in our lives plague us. We forget that there are a lot of other issues within us that need to be tackled. There are so may questions raging within us that are left unanswered.
It kinda makes one wonder if there really is a God, and if there is, why is there so much uncertainty and hurt in this world if He supposedly has control?
Why doesn't he love me?
Why did she have to die?
Am I not good enough?
He hurt me really really bad... and you want me to forgive?!
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME??!!
I am sure you have your own set of questions to add to that list. Your own groaning of the heart and cry of your soul.
I just finished reading an interesting story of hope shattered, anger and bitterness, love and loyalty and the promise of healing and restoration. Frankly, I must say it was a beautiful story. Not your typical teenage type of story.
As much as I want to tell you the story, I strongly encourage you to read it yourself so that you may journey with the Heroine, Ruth, through all the pains she has gone through. She's lost love, been pushed away, she's felt alone, her dreams have been broken. She's got enough reason to become angry and bitter.
Yet despite it all she takes heart and still continues on. She continues to trust God (something that is being frowned upon nowadays by the academically and intellectually elite) and by her righteousness (and not all of that righteousness stuff is holier than though kinda things, but practical everyday stuff we can actually do today) and God sees her through. There isn't any dramatic scene where God speaks to her and the thunder rumbles and the clouds break open to reveal a shaft of life.
I love this book of the bible because it so... well... normal, non-biblically dramatic and portrays life... well... how life is. Ruth goes through stuff we go through... and perhaps even more. Her dedication and commitment to following God and honoring her mother is very inspiring.
Despite all the pain and let down she went through, she chose to obey and live her life to honor God. She chose to focus on God and the promises of God rather than on the madness and pain coming at her. Even when her own mother in law pushed her away, she stayed true to the promise God had for her, and chose to live it out.
Sometimes we know all these promises. We believe in them (or so we say), but we never really act them out do we?
Faith = knowledge + action.
We maybe missing part of the formula.
What if... just what if Ruth didn't really know exactly what the promises were? She wasn't some holy woman of God. She was just your typical-everyday-gril next door. She wasn't described as notably beautiful. She wasn't exceptionally intelligent.
She was you typical person, living life as it came at her.
And it came at her hard.
But despite it all, Ruth believed in those promises and held on to the knowledge that God would never want anything ill for her. I think that Ruth held on to the love God promised her. And you know what... God delivered.
And He can and will deliver those promises in your life too.
If you choose to let Him.
There is no situation in your life right now that God cannot see you through. There is no bitterness in us that God cannot carry for us. Just like Ruth, we can choose to focus on God's love and promise in our life-or like the rest of the world, focus on the chaos of life around us.
It's your call.
I pray that may you follow in the steps of Ruth. She wasn't someone academically, intellectually or socially accomplished. She was your average girl. But she walked after God. She held on to the Giver of Promise and faced life head on.
-M-
