Naomi

The Internet is rife with Mother-in-Law jokes, and each one is terribly mean.  That makes me wonder what kind of a mother-in-law I am.  One of these days, I must ask my daughters-in-love where I stand on a scale of one to ten!  When we read the book of Ruth, we primarily focus on Ruth and so easily miss noticing what a great person Naomi was.  Naomi had some very remarkable qualities.  I believe there is a lot to learn from the life of Naomi.  

First and foremost, I can feel love in their relationship.  The way Naomi addressed her daughter-in-law as 'daughter' and the way she looked for her welfare demonstrates that bond of love.   We see Ruth saving what Boaz had given her to eat and bringing it home to her mother-in-law (Ruth 2:18).  Building a lasting relationship takes a lot of 'work.'  But if the relationship has enough 'love,' the 'work' is less!  Ruth and Orpah did not want to leave Naomi even after their husbands died!  The cine world takes the phrase 'love is blind' to depict inappropriate love affairs.  But that is not what it means.  It means that real love is blind to the other person's faults!  No one is perfect in this world.  Neither Naomi nor Ruth were perfect in that sense.  Constant criticism will surely break any relationship.  But love and patience will help one overlook the other person's faults and build that relationship.  Secondly, Ruth had learned of the God of Israel only through Naomi.  Ruth was a Moabitess.  Naomi's life had significantly impacted Orpah and Ruth, so they stayed with her even after their husbands were gone.  Both loved her, and  Ruth loved Naomi's God, too.  Ruth loved the God of Israel so much that she was willing to leave her country, her people, and her family and follow Naomi to the land of Israel!

My friend, sometimes someone in our family may not be a believer.  It could be our spouse or our children.  We cannot keep on telling them and irritate them.  While we pray for their salvation,  our lives should reflect God's love even during tough times.  People around us should be able to see Christ in us and feel His love through us!  Ruth came to love the God of Israel only through the life of Naomi!  Will our family and friends find Jesus in our life?  That is the question we have to answer today.  Unless our life reflects the love of Christ, we cannot reach the unreached.

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