14 March | EVERYONE
"But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God." Ruth 1:16
The sun was beating down strongly at that time. Three sad women walked along the sandy road from Moab to Bethlehem. They wore the mourning color of the night. They had lost their husbands, and in the society in which they lived, widows had little future unless someone of their husband’s relative rescued them. But they had no close relatives, and they walked with their faces marked with pain and their eyes without hope. They moved along the path in search of a better land.
Suddenly, the eldest of them, Naomi, stopped and told her young daughters-in-law that it would be good for them to return to their parents' house. At least in Moab there were people they knew who could help them.
One of them, Orpah, accepted and returned. Instead, as today's verse tells us, Ruth replied to her mother-in-law that she would remain by her side and be united with her people and her God. It was a decision that left no room for doubt. It became a social and spiritual identification. "Your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God." By choosing to do so, Ruth broke with her past of sadness and death and projected herself into a future of hope and full life.
It is not easy to decide. Many people, as they read the Bible, discover ignored truths and fear takes hold of their hearts. The struggle between tradition and truth, between custom and divine teaching, between what has always been done and what could be done, begins.
However, life is growth, and there is no growth without pain. You need to take your feet off what separates you from God and walk the path He shows you in His Word.
Take Action
As it is an admirable example of faithfulness, memorize today's verse and sing "Your God Shall Be My God" (if possible, with your family).