Choosing to Stay and Belong

The book of Ruth opens in a season of loss, Naomi had buried her husband and both of her sons in a foreign land. With nothing left to offer, she urged her daughters-in-law to go back to their own families and their own gods. Orpah kissed her goodbye and left, but Ruth held on.

Ruth's words were beautiful and impactful. She was a Moabite woman with no obligation to stay, with every reason to walk away, but something had changed in her heart, and she made a choice that would shape the rest of her life. She chose Naomi. She chose the people of Israel, and most importantly, she chose the God of Israel.

This is a picture of real commitment. Ruth didn't say, "I'll go with you as long as things are comfortable", she tied her future completely to Naomi's. Where you go, I go, where you sleep, I sleep, your people are my people, your God is my God. That's the kind of loyalty that only comes from love. There's a deeper truth here too as Ruth's story points us to what it looks like to come to God. Salvation is not a casual decision, it is a turning of our whole life toward God. We leave behind our old ways, our old loyalties, and we say to Jesus, "Where you lead, I will follow. Your people are my people. You are my God."

Maybe you're in a season where following God feels costly. Ruth shows us that the path of faithful commitment, even when it's hard, leads somewhere good. She couldn't see Boaz on the horizon, she just took the next step.

Today, take your next step with Him.