Ruth 1:16-18
16But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17Where you die, I will die — there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!" 18When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
I don’t know who picks these verses, but I am stumped. Perhaps Ruth’s steadfast determination to follow Naomi is an example of how we need to be committed to following Jesus, his teachings and the example he provided for how God wants us to relate to each other and to God. Seeing the face of Christ in family is shown here by Ruth’s commitment to leave her own people and homeland, to follow her mother-in-law. It reminds one of the famous quote of Bob Marley, “my home is in my head”. Ruth was willing to leave her physical home to be with Naomi, while for us, our home is in the Lord.
Phil Carroll
For reflection:
When have you shown loyalty to someone in your family, even though it involved personal cost?
What is your definition of “home?”
What is the impact on your family—however you define it—when members sacrifice for each other?
In case you were wondering...the spouse of the writer selected all the Bible passages!
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