You Don’t Have to Sit with Me Anymore
(Read Ruth 1)
“I have always been strong in my faith, but you can be angry with God,” a friend told me. (L) is far from being a prideful woman. She is a huge-hearted mom, wife, friend, and authentic disciple for Jesus. Sitting across from her in our Life Group, I sometimes just observe the pure passion from her sharing deep and meaningful feelings that pour out of her. She knows and articulates what God has revealed inside of her.
“When times are challenging, I always know I have Him to turn to. Even when things get really bad, it’s like, ‘You really feel I need more on my plate God.’” We both laughed at this. God can always put more on our plates because He knows how much we can take.
Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
Ruth 1:16
“As a child, I knew nothing about Jesus Christ, even though my parents had religious backgrounds,” (L) continued. Both of her parents knew what church was, but it didn’t get much deeper than that. “My first real exposure to Jesus was seeing a picture my Grandmother had of him in her home. I knew it was supposed to be Him, but I didn’t know Him.”
While I write this, I think about some people in my life who grew up steeped in church life but don’t show it. Sometimes those of us with a churchy background don’t have the receptive hearts that Jesus is seeking. Sometimes we take the very things God gives us, turning them into idols, rather than giving praise and thanks to Him for providing them.
(L) said, “I was taken to church on Easter and Christmas. I was bought new clothes for Easter, but I didn’t know what it meant.”
How Did God Call You?
“It wasn’t until my mid-30’s when I came to know Jesus Christ,” she shared. (L) and her husband were born in an island country in the Caribbean. There is still an active influence from their native country in how they act and talk. I enjoy their charming and somewhat exotic accents.
“My husband was deployed for a year. I had 3 kids, one being a special needs child, and my youngest was 7-months old. I remember I was feeling sick with a fever, but I didn’t think much of it at first. With 3 kids at home, a business to run, I thought, hey I’m a mom – deal with it.”
I was feeling the stress just from listening to the background of her story. She described the downward spiral her health took. After a series of inconclusive medical tests, she was asked to come back. “I couldn’t, I was too sick,” she lamented. “I crawled to the bathroom and my eyes were yellow.”
(L) went to a military hospital. She knew it was serious. “At one point, there were 4-5 doctors surrounding me talking, but I wasn’t sure what they were saying.” Her ER visit turned worse and she was taken to the ICU. Her medical team finally reached her husband overseas and from what she overheard, the doctors didn’t think she would make it through the night.
As with many awakening stories, Jesus often shows us slices of His love and glory even in our darkest times.
“Since we were 12, I had been calling my husband by his last name.” I could hear the emotion in (L)’s voice as she got to this part of her story. “The ICU nurse’s name was my husband’s last name. Something clicked inside of me, I wasn’t alone anymore.”
Her children depended on her. She loved them abundantly and equally, but her middle child was handicapped and required so much more care, that (L) was especially distraught over the thought of leaving him without a mother. “I still didn’t know anything about Christ, but I talked with Him about my son and wanted him to be covered. “Please don’t let me die. I need to be here for him.”
She learned that her mother was coming from her home country, so that meant things were really bad. (L) doesn’t remember anything about the next 6 days. Years later, she learned that there were people praying at her bedside, and during that time they heard her saying something like, “They are waiting for me to die.”
We talked about how cool it was that there were people there praying for her. Like a prayer circle or prayer vigil. Almost as extraordinary, is that she doesn’t have a clear idea who was praying for her!
“Jesus snatched me away from Satan. I vowed and committed to God that I would help my son be saved and take him to church.
When did you put your Faith into Action?
“Not long after that, our dog got loose and was nearly hit by a car. The woman driving, thought we looked familiar and asked if they had seen us attending their church? Hearing our answer, she then asked if we wanted to join them.”
And they did. The church made special arrangements to change the Sunday school classes to a more accessible location with no stairs for her son to attend. Worship on Sundays became a part of their life. (L) would be by her son’s side every week for class. After a year of this, he said, “You don’t have to sit with me anymore.” We laughed again. “It turns out, I was going for me, not him.”
I listened as she unfolded it was then she learned there really was a God and a way to Him through someone named Jesus. She had no idea about salvation or grace. She didn’t understand the meaning behind all these churchy words she had heard before — until this point.
At their church, they sometimes do Altar Calls, where people who wish to make a commitment to Jesus are invited to come forward. It’s a public confirmation of faith.
“Our Pastor invited us to an Altar Call. I wasn’t emotional or reactionary. I made a clear decision to follow Him.” She proclaimed, “My son saved our lives!” She wasn’t taking away that Jesus saves us, she merely was pointing to the messenger.
What is Your Favorite Scripture?
Without hesitation, she responded with the 1st Chapter of Ruth. “Naomi is telling Ruth to go back to Bethlehem, to Israel.”
She then paraphrased, “It goes something like this, ‘Your God will be my God and I will follow you.’ This is me saying these words to God.” For Ruth and my friend, it’s all commitment.
The book of Ruth was written during the period when “Judges” ruled Israel. They were deeply troubled and dark days for the people. This period was characterized by a time when people did what they wanted in their own eyes. But the story of Ruth was not dark, it was hopeful. Ruth shows us the promise of redemption. Much like my friend (L). Much like Jesus. It was Jesus who took on death to buy us back from sin and become our kinsman redeemer.
What Do You See Now, That You Didn’t See Before?
“When my mother got sick with dementia, she came to live with us. This struggle brought me even closer to Christ. I started knowing Him in different ways.”
This was such a powerful statement from someone who I regard with the utmost respect and love. (L)’s calm, sincere, and loving demeanor is a mirror image of Jesus himself. I couldn’t imagine her knowing Jesus any less than what I see now. But that’s the whole mystery of how God works in our lives. We each respond differently to God’s calling. God places things in front of us that refines us, tears us down, strengthens us, and eventually restores us.
(L) continued, “He brought me to my knees. He wanted me to see Him first. He saw me in my mom’s fight. I always first look up to see Him.”
We talked a bit about the disorder and decay of things. As followers of Christ, we see more clearly, the contrast between this entropy and perfection. (L) shared, “The more mature I get with my faith, the closer I get to Jesus, the more broken I see the world. I get so much hope that Jesus will come back soon.”
How Does God Speak to You?
When (L) was younger, her Mom sang in choir, worked in nursery, and served at their church. Over time, her Mom got into the occult side of things and became a spiritual medium relying on psychic and spiritual energy as the basis of her faith. “With her dementia, my mom had forgotten about her spiritual medium and only remembered her church history.”
She went on to tell me about an occurrence at her bookstore after her Mom’s passing, when a few homeless people asked to speak with her. (L) continued, “Are you (L)? Your Mom said she’s ok.”
On another occasion one random day, “One of my Mom’s friends from way back, found me and said, “I just saw your Mom.” The woman continued to share with (L), “I had a dream about your Mom, she was in line with a suitcase. In her dream, she said my mom told her, ‘I’m going to see the teacher.’”
(L) isn’t sure if her Mom is with Jesus in His Kingdom or not. Of course, we will never know for sure but there are some definite glimmers of hope from the revelations above. “Going to see the teacher,” sounds very hopeful to me.
My friend (L) is one of the more active and outgoing members of our Bible study group. She knows Scripture, she can explain it, and she lives it. More importantly, is what we have gained from her. Her faith doesn’t come from a textbook, it is an outpouring of experiences from trials and pain; it’s being able to listen and follow God’s calling.
As illustrated in Ruth, God showed that He uses the least likely as His instruments for redemption. God is concerned with availability, not ability. My friend may not have wanted to, but she became available. Ruth also shows us that those who experience the good news of the gospel, become like it. (L) doesn’t have to sit with her son in Sunday school anymore, she has places to go, other things to do, God has other plans for her. She is moving.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24
Key Applications:
- How can we follow God more closely? Read Ruth 1. Demonstrate your faith in one action this week. Small or big, doesn’t matter. Don’t demonstrate how pious you are, but rather reflect in your actions that Jesus Christ is our Savior.
- Are you a church goer or a worshipper? There is a difference. We should try to be more active in prayer and praise and less like a consumer watching a concert. Think about this the next time you’re in church. Be present. Pray hard. Serve. Whatever you do, do it for God not yourself.
- Sit or move. These devotionals are based on faith journeys. We are called to serve and obey God. We can’t do that sitting on the couch. Pray for God to show you what your next move is. Then do it.
Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.