Good morning/afternoon/evening. I do hope you know why we're here today. Incase there is any doubt let me be so bold as to explain. Due to my incredible intellect and maturity I have been hand picked to further educate you in all matters relating to the first chapter of Ruth. The wise people of The Forge also felt it would help having someone slightly more “A list” on the blogging bill to counteract the “I'm a celebrity fodder” of Steve, Matt and Sam.
Ok That was not entirely true (although I still believe the A-list story) I do not have anything mind blowing or new to enlighten you with regarding Ruth and anyone that knows me will vouch for the fact that I certainly don't have an incredible intellect. But I have been reading Ruth for the last month and have been given the chance to try and explain some of what I'm learning and being challenged with as I read. I will ask questions rather than give answers and some stuff I write will be wrong, obvious or just plain stupid. I hope this will be like a window for you to look into my life, thoughts and journey with God as I read Ruth and try and apply it to my life here in South Africa.
Let me introduce you all to someone. I'll change the name so lets call her Annabelle (I need one of those disclaimers that say any resemblance to someone in the Forge is coincidence). Anyway although I've re-named this person Annabelle it's a true living person who I've met and will met again and again. Annabelle was married and had four children, like any Mum she had hopes and dreams for her kids. Annabelle's parents died when she was only 11 and she was left to care for her two younger brothers. This meant doing “anything” to get food. In reality when your a teenage girl with nothing and three mouths to feed it's surprising how many older men will “help you out” and give you food. In the same village lives Julia. Julia is a Gogo (Grandmother) and unwell. Her husband is extremely ill and needs lots of care. Julia had four children all who would still be younger than me if they we're alive. She looks after several of her orphaned grandchildren including one called Bill who is 6 and has Cerebral Palsy.
Now I know I'm running the risk of turning you all off this blog idea at day one and believe me I really wanted the first one to be hilarious, life changing and a real “wow I never knew that” moment. But when reading Naomi's story I couldn't help but be struck every time I read this of how 3 months ago I would have just skipped over the part about her husband and two sons dying as just a metaphor for suffering. I mean it's biblical times, right? that sort of hideous tragedy was common place and what's more needed to happen for us to learn things. I mean, yeah it's a story in the bible and we can learn from it but they're not real people, are they? If it's just me that feels like this then I'm sorry but I have the ability to read stories in the bible, learn from them and even apply them to where I am in life without ever really acknowledging that this story was actually real. You see, now my problem is they are real people. I know Julia, I've sat and prayed with her in her house. I've played football with some of the orphans she looks after. I know that, like Naomi must have experienced, Julia lies awake crying. I've seen Julia cling with her fingernails to a faith in a God that she doesn't understand.
I'm not in any way trying to enter into a “the suffering here is worse than the suffering there” discussion. Suffering can be heartbreaking, hideous and painful whether it's the death of one grandparent or four of your children, whether it's illness or divorce, redundancy or stress. All I think I'm trying to say is as I start looking at Ruth I need to remember that firstly she was broken, really broken and it was real. Secondly that this story is reality for millions across the world. We do have suffering on a biblical scale literally! There are real life Naomi's.
Speak to you all tomorrow. I've just spent my Saturday giving out school bags to 114 orphans and am now off to listen to a Radio 4 podcast! Oh how I've changed.
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