I have done a fair bit of moving about in my short existence, having now lived in Northern Ireland, Wales, The Isle of Man and now England. In that time I seem to have made hundreds of friends and then lost many of them just as quickly. There are loads of people that I love dearly, but have not seen in many years. Yes, of course, I am friends with them on Facebook, but that’s not quite the same. The majority of my 196 Facebook “friends” have never received so much as a comment from me since I accepted them.
The thing is that I only ever see a snapshot of a person’s life. That few years that I spent with them living next door…that couple of weeks on holiday…that conversation on the park bench.
It leaves me wondering what they were like before I knew them. I find out things about people’s pasts all the time, which surprise me. Hands up if you knew I used to play the bagpipes? Even more shocking, I saw a video of Martin Welham yesterday…and he had hair!
In the first couple of chapters of Ruth we see a snapshot of Naomi as a broken person. A widow who says that God has turned against her. A hardly recognisable shell of the person she once was.
But in chapter 3, there is a turning point. Naomi’s bitterness and her inclination to depend on Ruth seems to disappear as she starts to plan. Instead of Ruth suggesting what to do, it is now Naomi leading and looking to the future.
It makes me wonder. Is this the Naomi of years ago, before the famine and time spent in Moab? Was she a bit of a schemer, a John “Hannibal” Smith, before life knocked her down? I would love to know. But I do know that things have now changed, again. She even finishes the chapter with the words “Don’t worry, be patient”. What a difference!
I have read the book of Ruth many times, but I have always missed it, until now. This story is not just detailing the redemption of Ruth, but also that of Naomi.
Today, know that God is not just wanting to free us from “sin” but also from our hurt and our bitterness. Now that’s Amazing Grace…
“God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.”
(Philippians 1v6)
Have a great day.
Sam
P.S. Please leave a comment!
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Is it completely wrong that I was taken up with Sams John 'Hannibal' Smith allusion and forgot all about Ruth. The A Team ... How flippin GREAT were they ?! where did they go ?
ReplyDeleteMatt
putting Matt's distraction aside, Thanks Sam, that last quote from Philippians is a great uplifter for me today!
ReplyDeleteJust so you feel you've been commented! Excellent take on Naomi :) It's often difficult to take our eyes off the "star" of the story and look at what we can learn about and from the other characters. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat series - well done to the drama team too. I find the songs really helpful in the tough times to keep my thoughts on the One who can lift my feet from the miry clay, and who can 'move the mountain' so it doesn't totally overwhelm me. Thanks Sam you made me feel old - I used to go and watch the version of Martin with hair live in his band - not on a historical document!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutly loving all these ways to connect and go deeper. I've not even heard a talk yet from a Sunday morning and still feel a part of the Forge discussion and being able to apply the teaching I've not heard yet!!! Thanks for blogging
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