Then she kissed them and they wept aloud and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.” (Ruth 1:9–10)
IF ONLY WE WERE ALL as faithful as Ruth. She could not bear the thought of being anyplace but where she would be the most useful. She could easily have gone her own way and saved herself from hardship. It would have been the safe bet.
But in her desire to stay true to Naomi, Ruth chose to brave the unknown. We may like to think that we would make the same choice, but we can only know for sure when we are facing the situation. It could be that Ruth’s resolve was so strong because she had made her decision long before she was at her crossroads. This could have been the key to her response when given the choice to go.
When we know who we are and have knowledge of where God wants to take us, we can make certain decisions ahead of time to ensure we stay true to our calling. The voices of the world may distract us, but when we have set in our hearts to choose wisely, we are stronger when the time comes to actually take that step.
Ruth reaped a blessing from her sacrifice. She stayed in the center of God’s will by setting aside her own agenda in favor of faithfulness. This woman knew who she was, where she was going, and why she had to go. Do you?
Plant a seed in firm ground today by planning ahead for a sound decision.
Jan Cline is the mother of three and grandmother of seven. She loves golfing, camping, singing, and speaking to Christian women’s groups.