Ruth 2:23  – Thus, she stayed with Boaz’s young women, gleaning until the completion of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Gratitude Day 716

Some days, I wonder where I left my brain. Is it along the side of the road? In the woods? Taking a long winter’s nap?

Some days, I wish I knew.

It happened again this week. I’d sent a card to someone three weeks ago. It was returned to our mailbox because the envelope did not have an address on it. It had the person’s name … and nothing else. No town. No state. No street.

Your first thought might be, “Why did it take three weeks for the card to be returned?” Believe me, I had this though as well. But it was quickly followed by another thought, “How can I be so silly? Seriously, where did I expect this card to end up?”

Apparently, right back at my house! And … it did!

And so, this card has been sitting on my desk for a couple days, waiting for me to put an address on it and send it back out into the world. This time, with an address. I do not want the envelope to come back to me … again.

Yes, Dianne, the US Postal Service needs a little more guidance than just a name. Thank goodness I had included our information on the card so it could make it back to me, simply because there was something inside the card.

On the flip side, while USPS does not know where we live without an address on the outside of an envelope, God ALWAYS does. God can find you in a hot minute and somehow, knows everything going on in our lives, all at the same time; the good and the challenging.

In the Old Testament, there is a woman named Ruth. Her life has been awful. A foreign family moved into Ruth’s community with two sons. The parent’s wanted grandchildren, so they arranged for their children to marry local woman. Ruth was chosen as one of the wives. But then some bad things happened. Ruth’s new father-in-law died, as well as her brother-in-law AND her husband. Three devastating deaths. All that was left was her mother-in-law and her sister-in-law.

Her MIL was distraught. Who would take care of her into her old age? She couldn’t expect her daughter-in-laws to do so. They were young women and needed to have families of their own. She decided to return to the home where her ancestors lived, alone. She requested the young ladies stay behind and find new husbands.

One daughter-in-law did. But Ruth didn’t. She pledged to her mother-in-law that she would travel wherever she went. She would keep house with her and let her choose where they lived. She would even give up the religious views she was raised in and declare the God of her husband’s family as her religion as well. She would give up everything so her mother-in-law would not have to be alone.

Wow. Ruth was going to start this journey into a land where she had never been. One where she didn’t know the language or the local customs. The food would be different and her current clothing would not fit in. She would be the foreigner moving into a totally new area, just as her husband’s family had done.

She had no clue what her address would be or how her family could get ahold of her. Certainly, there was no text messaging in those days.

Yet, Ruth stayed with her MIL. She worked with the other young ladies in this new community so she would have resources to house and feed them. Most importantly? She kept house with her MIL so she would not be alone.

Even if Ruth didn’t know where she was going or where she would live, God provided for them. God figured out a way so everything would be OK. In fact, God brought another Godly-man into her life who eventually became her husband.

Sometimes, we may wonder whether or not we fit in. When we are in a new situation, we wonder if we will find someone to chat with. Will someone help us figure out the local customs? Show us where the best place is to get a cup of coffee or an ice cream cone?

Ruth did not know anything of these things. But she figured them out. God was with her. When she might have wondered why she made this decision and where she left her brain, she kept going. Following the guidance of this new God in her life. Accepting the traditions and culture of her husband’s family. Knowing that she wasn’t alone. God knew exactly where she was.

For the promise that God always knows where I am and will be with me, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Lord God – so often, we think that unless You provide us with exactly what WE want, we assume You are not present. But this is such a poor understanding of Who you are. Holy One – thank you for being present with me, even when I wasn’t sure what was going on or where You were in my life. You just stayed there with me and I am grateful for this. Amen.

If this post touched you, I invite you to share it.