I was a stranger here.
It was common knowledge. People took one look at me and saw in a glance that I didn't belong here. My dress and my speech was different from those living here in Bethlehem-Judah. The one person they connected me with was my mother-in-law, Naomi. We had returned to her native home of Bethlehem-Judah following the deaths of my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and my husband Mahlon. It was a sad time, both of us grieving for what we didn't have and Naomi doubly so. She carries a sense of bitterness with her and even told her friends and neighbors to call her "Mara." Why couldn't they understand that about us, instead of gawking at me and surely whispering about Naomi bringing a heathen into their midst? I shoved the thoughts from my mind and focused on gathering the long stalks of barley into a basket I would take back to Naomi later on tonight. I was grateful for the work, for the purpose and the thrill of joy it brought me. This would not only be our food source, but it would also be our means of income for the time being. The hours flew by, and I hadn't been there more than half of the day when a man approached me. He carried himself with authority but not in an over-bearing or threatening way. His gaze met mine and I found his look to be a welcoming one. Boaz, he said his name was. Gently, he greeted me and instructed me to remain here in his fields, gleaning with his maidens, and told me how he had instructed his young men not to touch me. I blinked at him, my mind spinning with all the information. My heart took note of the boundaries he had already set in place for my benefit. Why? Why had he done this for me? An overwhelming sense of unworthiness swept over me and brought me crumbling to the ground, on my face, before him. Drawing in a trembling breath, I blinked the moisture from my eyes and looked up at him. "Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am stranger?" (Ruth 2:10) Boaz smiled down at me, warmth sparking in his kind eyes. "It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore." (verse 11) I stared at him, awe seeping through me. Somehow, some way, he knew about me and my situation. But how had he known about my husband and my mother-in-law? His words tore through my wandering thoughts and my gaze jerked to him. "The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust." (verse 12) * * * I wrote this scene a few weeks ago, after a phrase kept revolving in my mind. It was Ruth's question to Boaz, after he tells her about the rules he set in place for her. Why have I found grace in thine eyes? Have you ever been so overwhelmed by God's goodness to you, a stumbling, weak child of God, that you asked Him this question? It is humbling, knowing your own failures and short-comings, when God still whispers His promises to your soul or answers your prayers, even when you feel as if you don't deserve it. (And to be honest, we don't.) The only reason we receive the gift of His grace is because of Jesus. He redeemed us, for the price of His own life, and He is the reason God looks on us with such grace, mercy, and love. We were, at one time, strangers to God--just like Ruth was to Boaz here. But God, like Boaz, showed us overwhelming grace. Rejoice in His grace, friends!
1 Comment
Taylor
11/10/2022 06:45:58 pm
This is so beautiful, Carolyn!
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AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
February 2024
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