Reflections on Mother's Day (Pt 2)

Proverbs 31:10-12, 20-21

[10] An excellent wife who can find?

She is far more precious than jewels.

[11] The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

[12] She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life.

[20] She opens her hand to the poor

and reaches out her hands to the needy.

[21] She is not afraid of snow for her household,

for all her household are clothed in scarlet.

Philippians 2:3-8

[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, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Yesterday I wrote, “‘The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world,’ yet it is often an invisible hand. Thinking about the quiet presence of Naomi in the background of the book of Ruth, what godly characteristics does she portray that we would all do well to emulate?” One primary characteristic that Naomi lived out is selflessness. That selflessness was demonstrated in at least three ways.

 The first is kindness. Naomi selflessly followed her husband to a foreign land away from friends, family, and support systems. While there she lost her husband and her two sons. Yet in her grief she thought first of others. She encouraged her daughters-in-law to go back to their families. She had nothing to offer them and she knew that they would be better off with their birth families. Ruth begged to stay with Naomi, who acquiesced and let her stay. Throughout the rest of the book of Ruth Naomi treated Ruth kindly. She gently guided and counseled her. Kindness was a constant value in Naomi’s life.

 Selflessness was demonstrated not only in kindness, but in blessing others. In Ruth 1:8 Naomi blessed her two daughters-in-law with these words, “May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” In Ruth 2:19 Naomi said, “Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” Naomi was constantly thinking and acting in the best interest of others.

  

Naomi was kind, blessing others. She was also patient. When she realized that a close relative had taken an interest in Ruth she did not rush to seek help. She patiently allowed the process to develop. When Ruth spent the night on the threshing floor at the feet of Boaz, she counseled Ruth, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out” (Ruth 3:18). She knew how to wait patiently.

Selflessness is demonstrated in patient kindness and is focused on blessing others rather than oneself. That was the character of Naomi throughout the book of Ruth. It is graduation season. High schools, colleges and universities, even kindergartens are graduating a fresh group of students. With the Corona Virus restrictions most graduation ceremonies have been cancelled. Still, school officials are working to find ways to honor the graduates in this unique time. In all the graduation events students are honored, and it is not uncommon to hear teachers honored for their investment in the lives of the students. Do you know who are never honored? The janitors. Yet they are the ones who clean up after us, mop up grotesque stuff we don’t like to think about, clean the toilets, and make sure that the teachers and the students can do their thing without distraction. In these days of quarantine teachers are continuing to teach online and from a distance. Students are supposed to be continuing their studies. Where does that leave the janitors?

Even in church it is pastors, teachers, and musicians who get attention, while the janitors go unnoticed. It is an unappreciated, but vitally important job. Now, I know that some just do it for the paycheck, but many who clean churches do it solely for the glory of God. It is a selfless service. If Naomi was in your church today she would be the janitor, or the nursery attendant, or organizing the kitchen. She would be doing service that doesn’t attract attention, but is vital to the ministry.

Mothers, for the most part, are selfless. They sacrifice their time, their energy, even their health for the good of their children. Their first thought is not for their own safety, but for the safety of their child. If only that selflessness was more evident in our churches, our communities, and our world. It was selflessness that took Jesus to the cross. It was selflessness that characterized Naomi’s life. Let us make it our prayer today that God would open our eyes to our own selfishness, and grow in us the selflessness of Christ.