This week I intend to post some blogs that I wrote about four years ago. They are reflections on the book of Ruth in light of Mother's Day. I hope you find them a blessing.
Ruth 1:20 (ESV)
With Mother’s Day rapidly approaching I have been contemplating the book of Ruth in the Bible. Naomi’s name means pleasant, delightful, or lovely. Yet her life experience was anything but that. She followed her husband away from family and friends to a foreign land because of famine. Her two sons married foreign women. Something that, in Israel’s history, never turned out well. Her husband and her two sons died, leaving her destitute and responsible for two daughters-in-law. Is it any wonder that when she finally went home she told her friends, “Don’t call me delightful. Call me Mara, bitter.
It is not that she was bitter. It is that her life had been bitter. It is a similar word to that used to describe the bitter waters of Marah in the wilderness. Her name was Pleasant, but her life had been far from it. Yet the amazing thing is that Naomi’s primary concern throughout the story was not her own comfort, but Ruth’s. By attending to Ruth’s care Naomi found the blessing of a grandchild that became the grandfather of King David. The story begins with a woman named Pleasant whose life is bitter. It ends with a woman who called herself Bitter enjoying the delightful blessing of a grandchild she called Obed, worshiper.
The incredible truth about motherhood is that the mother’s lives are primarily about others. For nine months a mother carries a child that has no concern for the mother’s comfort or well-being. She cares for her children for years, training them to be concerned for others. Sometimes it feels like an impossible task. She delights in their growth, and agonizes over their pain. She worries about them no matter how old, wise, or mature they become. And once a year, if she is lucky, she gets a card telling her how great she is. Granted, not all mothers are selfless. Truthfully, those who have never been a mother are often just as selfless. But at the heart of motherhood is the idea that someone else is more important that one’s own self.
There is a lesson to be learned there. Paul said it like this in Philippians 2:3-5
That was Jesus heart when he chose to go to the cross in our place. That was God’s heart when he chose to send his son for the salvation of his enemies. Jesus said, in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Yet he laid down his life for his enemies. He calls us to live out that same selfless service. Motherhood emulates God’s love and sets an example of what it means to live selflessly. With Naomi, no matter what bitterness life brings, we are called to live a life of gracious selflessness. That is the greatest reflection of our Lord and Savior. It can only be done by his grace.
Ruth 1:20 (ESV)
[20] She said
to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very
bitterly with me.
With Mother’s Day rapidly approaching I have been contemplating the book of Ruth in the Bible. Naomi’s name means pleasant, delightful, or lovely. Yet her life experience was anything but that. She followed her husband away from family and friends to a foreign land because of famine. Her two sons married foreign women. Something that, in Israel’s history, never turned out well. Her husband and her two sons died, leaving her destitute and responsible for two daughters-in-law. Is it any wonder that when she finally went home she told her friends, “Don’t call me delightful. Call me Mara, bitter.
It is not that she was bitter. It is that her life had been bitter. It is a similar word to that used to describe the bitter waters of Marah in the wilderness. Her name was Pleasant, but her life had been far from it. Yet the amazing thing is that Naomi’s primary concern throughout the story was not her own comfort, but Ruth’s. By attending to Ruth’s care Naomi found the blessing of a grandchild that became the grandfather of King David. The story begins with a woman named Pleasant whose life is bitter. It ends with a woman who called herself Bitter enjoying the delightful blessing of a grandchild she called Obed, worshiper.
The incredible truth about motherhood is that the mother’s lives are primarily about others. For nine months a mother carries a child that has no concern for the mother’s comfort or well-being. She cares for her children for years, training them to be concerned for others. Sometimes it feels like an impossible task. She delights in their growth, and agonizes over their pain. She worries about them no matter how old, wise, or mature they become. And once a year, if she is lucky, she gets a card telling her how great she is. Granted, not all mothers are selfless. Truthfully, those who have never been a mother are often just as selfless. But at the heart of motherhood is the idea that someone else is more important that one’s own self.
There is a lesson to be learned there. Paul said it like this in Philippians 2:3-5
[3] Do
nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more
significant than yourselves. [4] Let each of you look not only to his own
interests, but also to the interests of others. [5] Have this mind among
yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
That was Jesus heart when he chose to go to the cross in our place. That was God’s heart when he chose to send his son for the salvation of his enemies. Jesus said, in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Yet he laid down his life for his enemies. He calls us to live out that same selfless service. Motherhood emulates God’s love and sets an example of what it means to live selflessly. With Naomi, no matter what bitterness life brings, we are called to live a life of gracious selflessness. That is the greatest reflection of our Lord and Savior. It can only be done by his grace.
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