Ruth

I read the book of Ruth today and sat here kind-of stunned. I grew up knowing the story of Ruth, but going through everything I've gone through recently made it jump out at me. Ruth married her husband and lived away from her family for 10 years, then her husband died. After her husband died, her mother-in-law told her to go back home to her family, but she chose to stay with her mother-in-law. All I can say is WOW! I'm having a hard time not taking my husband to Indiana to live, and he's still alive. I cannot imagine the dedication and conviction that Ruth had to have to stay away from her family even after losing her husband! In the end, God greatly rewarded her with a kind husband and rewarded Naomi with a grandson. Naomi had lost her husband and both of her sons, and I had this image of her just glowing as her grandson sat on her lap!

It's also a story of great redemption. In fact, the NIV refers to Boaz as the "kinsman-redeemer." That word alone brought tears to my eyes (probably because I'm withdrawing from Lexapro, but still). I thought about the great, unsurpassing love that God has for us and how He is our Redeemer. All of these days of pain and frustration that I'm going through are not without the redemption of my God. He is my Redeemer, the Restorer of my life.