The Power of Friendship

To be honest with you I don't have very many friends. I have my family and then a handful of people I keep close. I am 18 years old and many kids my age are still concerned with being popular and well-known. This just isn't a concern to me because I know that that handful of people will be there for me through and through and they have proven this time and time again. In the old testament the book of Ruth is such a powerful statement of friendship and family bonds.

In Ruth a woman, Naomi, loses her husband and then two sons and is left only with her daughter in-laws. Naomi decides she is going to go back to her hometown because there is nothing there for her anymore. Her two daughter in-laws protest but Naomi insisted that they go back to where they came from. One girl agrees to go but Ruth insists on staying with her mother in law. This was a huge deal in these Bible days because then a God was considered to rule only over one geographical region. A Moabite (what Ruth and her sister Orpah were) were going to be a disadvantage in Israel and Naomi didn't expect them to believe in her God. Pay special attention to verses 1:16-18 because these show a huge sacrifice. Ruth is willing to leave her own God no matter what it cost her to be with her mother in law. How many people do you know that would do this for you?

Reading:

Ruth 1.

Reflection:

-Do you surround yourself with people like Ruth who are willing to sacrifice everything, including the wrath of God for you?

-Are you a loving enough person to do this for anyone?

-Who knows what Ruth would have done had the circumstances been different. How much would it take for you to do this for someone? Death, sickness, or that they're just plain lonely?