Loving Like Ruth

The Girl Who Captivated My Heart

Women in the Bible fascinate me. I absolutely love to dive into their stories and imagine the time and space in which they were living: the trials and joys they faced, the small heroic moments that went unseen or unnoticed, the way God used them to shine His light through displays of feminine genius.

One woman in particular, Ruth, captivates my heart, imagination and curiosity more than most these days. We encounter her in scripture at a point where her husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law have all died. Ruth is left alone and widowed in a time where being widowed was truly devastating. It is here that we really get to know the character of this woman.

Brilliant Selflessness

Having quite literally lost it all, Ruth does not retreat into self-pity or self-protection mode like I would be tempted to do. No, our Ruth is completely other-focused and instead perceives the extreme vulnerability of her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi, after losing all the men in her life, and thus all sense of security, provision and protection, has decided to travel back to her hometown of Bethlehem. This journey alone will be incredibly dangerous. Like many mothers would do, Naomi insists that Ruth and her other daughter-in-law, Orpah, return to their own homes, with their own mothers, to seek safety and shelter.

But our girl Ruth is not having this. In a brilliant display of selflessness, Ruth insists, over and over, that she will not leave Naomi alone.

But Ruth said, “Entreat me not to leave you or to return from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God; where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if even death parts me from you.” Ruth 1:16-17

Finally, Naomi relents and allows Ruth to journey with her to Bethlehem. Ruth gracefully and forcefully surrenders all of her own needs here: to be comforted by her own family, to be safe from the dangers of her own widowhood, to be consoled and cared for through her own pain and heartbreaking loss.

It’s Giving Havens

It begs the question: What drove Ruth to embrace this type of sacrificial love for her mother-in-law? How does one forgo personal pain and heartbreak to lean into a mission to provide a safe haven for another person instead? I believe Ruth was driven by a love that transcended self, and time, circumstances, and fear. Ruth loved the way St. Thomas Aquinas framed love: she willed the good of another.

When we love on this level, my friends, the game changes. We are empowered to give without counting the cost, to sacrifice willingly, and to forgo comforts because we are motivated and buoyed by the God-given desire to love another with intention. Deep in the wellspring of our soul, we recognize that this is precisely how God loves us, and when we draw upon His love for us, there is no limit to the love we can pour out.

I pray that you, and I, can draw deep from that well today. And tomorrow. And every tomorrow after that. Ruth held a key that unlocked a fantastic and beautiful truth of life: Love gives. Love is active, and living, and present in our souls because we are endowed with the ability to love by our Father. He pours unending love into our hearts, and in His perfect design for us, we can pour it out to others. Over and over and over again, Amen.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. John 3:16

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