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Ruth 1:16 But Ruth said, «Entreat me not to leave you or to turn back from following after you, for wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.»
Ruth was a daughter-in-law of Naomi, and Naomi and her husband had traveled to the land of Moab with their two sons. They married two girls in the land of Moab. Unfortunately, Naomi lost her husband and her two sons, so she now has her daughters-in-law, who have also lost their husbands. One of them is Ruth; the other one is called Orpah. Naomi decides to go back to the land of her ancestors, which is Bethlehem, and in the process, Ruth makes the statement we read in the passage today-that she’s going to stick with Naomi, stay with her, and go with her.
The other daughter-in-law, Orpah, turned back and stayed with her people. In life, there are people who stay with you, and there are people who leave you. It’s part of life; don’t get angry with it; it’s just the way things are designed to be. Not everybody’s going to be with you, and not everybody’s going to leave you. At every point in life, there will be a Ruth who stays with you and goes with you on your journey, and there will be an Orpah who looks at the situation and considers it too difficult to stay with you.
So, in our relationships on the journey of life, we have to discern, and we need divine guidance to discern who is staying with us and who is leaving us. Those who stay with us build enduring relationships, while those who leave us are transitional. Sometimes they come to add something to your life and leave you, and that’s all; they are just supposed to be there at a certain point and move on with your lives. They can stay with you, and you don’t blame them; you don’t get angry with them. But there are people who stay with you through difficult moments and journey with you, and that is what Ruth represents.
There are different qualities that we have to look for in the relationships we have, and it’s important that when you find enduring relationships, you nurture them, that you invest in them, and you don’t give too much value to people who will leave you later in the future but give a lot more value to those who stick with you at all times. For the journey that God has called you on, there are people whom God has appointed to stay with you, walk with you, counsel you, advise you, encourage you, and stay with you till the journey’s end. Value those people and don’t underestimate them.
So just a few things for you to think аbout: remember those who helped you without expecting anything back — people in life who helped you and were not looking for a reward, and maybe they helped you when you were nobody. Those are valued people; don’t take them lightly. Honor the person who stood by your side when you felt tired and weak, when you couldn’t stand on your own; somebody stood with you and helped you to stand. Honor that person and express gratitude to those whose encouragement helped you to go through a difficult phase of your life.
There are people who encourage you, sometimes by giving you a gift, sometimes by giving you a call, and sometimes by just being present and smiling. They help you, and cherish those whose words of advice or counsel enabled you to make wise choices. Remember to also be a helper to somebody else as others have helped you. May God give you a Ruth who stays with you throughout your journey.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, help me to recognize the people you have placed in my life to help me get to where I’m going. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»