LESSON FROM THE WOMAN IN THE FIELDS FOR SINGLES : RUTH

LESSONS FROM THE WOMAN IN THE FIELDS FOR SINGLES: RUTH As a continuation of our series on Lessons from women of virtue, we take a look at the life of Ruth, the great- grandmother of the King David, and of course one of very few women privileged to be in the lineage of JESUS or LINEAGE OF GRACE as it’s popularly called. The life of Ruth is one that reflects her virtues, shows what made her thick, how she became history’s favourite and how she was privileged to be found by the right man. Privileged because with or without Ruth, the messiah was pre designated to come from Bethlehem in Judah…… LESSON 1: RUTH HAD UNSHAKABLE LOYALTY. Ruth’s loyalty here is a very rare one. After her husband dies, she had every right, and opportunity to go back to her family, her people and her way of life. She was not in any way obliged to Naomi (Mother In-law) but yet she was ready to leave the familiar and stick with her mother in-law who did not seem like she had anything to offer her. This is true loyalty. It’s easy to appear loyal when you know you will be rewarded for it, but for RUTH, the story was different. She was going back with her mother in-law who has lost everything and despite the fact that she was from Bethlehem, she was returning to the unknown. Do you consider yourself as a loyal person? Are you someone who stays true even when things don’t look good, or do you run at the slightest confrontation from challenges? Marriage is a journey that will challenge you and your spouse and no man wants a woman who will only stand by him when the going is good. LESSON 2: RUTH HAD A SENSE OF PURPOSE. Like Myles Munroe once said “once purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable” if you don’t know want you want out of life, people will decide for you. Even though the future seemed bleak and uncertain, RUTH was certain about one thing, WHEREVER HER MOTHER INLAW WAS GOING, SO WAS SHE. Her purpose at that point in time was to follow her mother in-law and be with her until death. It was so strong that Naomi could not convince her to do otherwise. Even though Orpah left, Ruth knew what she wanted and she was not turning back. What do you stand for now that you are still single? What is your purpose, where does your focus lie? Your purpose ultimately informs your actions. The moment you figure out what you want to do with your life, your actions will align with it. Otherwise life will be meaningless and of course you will be a leach in every relationship you enter into. LESSON 3: RUTH GOT OVER HER TRAGEDY AND HAD A LIFE: To lose a loved one is a very traumatic experience and that includes the death of a husband. Imagine how RUTH felt when her husband died. The future must have seemed bleak for a widow with no child to call her own. It was enough for her to go into depression and wallow in self pity for the rest of her life. Sure people would pity her and understand her pains but soon enough the world would move on and RUTH would have been forgotten. Instead, she choose to take a step forward, she managed her tragedy, got over it and opened up to ne experiences and opportunity by leaving her people and going with her mother in-law. Even when they arrived in a new town, RUTH did not just sit down and wait for things to happen, she went out to look for work. She got engaged in an activity and continued with life. I remember a post I once came across on face book. It read something like “Keep saying I don’t trust men while your mates are getting married every Saturday” that was truly hilarious because it reminded of the cliché you find among single ladies. They complain about being jilted, cheated upon, and mistreated and so on. Honestly I understand it’s not a good experience but for Christ’s sake, give somebody else a chance. Stop using Paul’s stick to measure Peter. If you don’t get past your hurt you might never find a suitable partner. Get over that man, get over that hurt, let go of that bitterness, and get a life. LESSON 4: RUTH WAS HARD-WORKING: I’m sure this sounds familiar already as seen also in the life of Rebecca in the previous lesson. When Boaz got to his field and inquired about the young woman who was picking from behind, he was told about whom she was and that she had been picking all day since morning without taking a break. Like my mother always said, character is like smoke you can’t keep if hidden for too long; because it will always find a way out” RUTH’s hard work came to light and apparently she was not doing it because she knew the owner of the field or she was getting paid. There’s no need to dwell on this subject matter because there’s no substitute for hard work; you’re either hardworking or you’re lazy. LESSON 5: RUTH UNDERSTOOD THAT APPEARANCE WAS IMPORTANT: Unlike Rebecca, the Bible did not describe RUTH as a beautiful woman, but when she was to meet up with Boaz, she washed her face, perfumed herself and dressed nicely. Ladies, looking good is good business, it mattered before Christ and it still matters now. “If you can catch his eye, you can’t capture his heart”. Moderation is key though; so you don’t scare him in an attempt to capture his heart. LESSON 6: RUTH LISTENED TO THE COUNSEL OF THE MOTHER FIGURE IN HER LIFE- NAOMI: Until Naomi said so, Ruth was not thinking about her marriage options. Not only did Naomi conceive the grand plan to get Ruth a husband, RUTH listened to her OLD FASHIONED MOTHER INLAW. She was asked to go and lie at Boaz’s feet which symbolized she wanted to be under his protection and considered for marriage; and she did it exactly as she was told. A lot of young ladies perceive their parents and other authority figures in their life as old fashioned and no trendy and as such they tend to do things their own way. The outcome as we all know is usually disastrous. If you can’t accept the authority of your parents now, you would find it hard to accept that of your husband. Submission is not a virtue you develop in marriage; it is developed over the years before marriage. Are you submissive? Do you listen and act in accordance to the authority figures in your life? LESSON 7: RUTH WAS NOT A MATERIAL GIRL: The moment her desires were revealed to Boaz, he commended her for not pursuing desires based on sight. Now what Boaz expected was that a young lady like RUTH would have preferred young men in her age category. In Ruth 3:10 Boaz addressed her as “my daughter” which means Boaz must have been far older than she was. In fact in my research, I came across a material that said Boaz was about 80 years while RUTH was 40 years of age… now even I can’t get my head around that age difference. While I can’t confirm the validity of that statement, Boaz was far older than she was. As such he was most surprised when she showed her willingness to be his wife. I honestly cannot speak for you on what must have drawn her to Boaz, but I know she saw Boaz as a kins man who could redeem and prevent her husband’s line and of course there’s no questioning that Boaz had a good heart. A lot of singles today go after men get married to men for the wrong reasons. Examine yourself while you’re dating that man and before you say “I DO” make sure your reasons are valid. Money, good looks, position and power can be stripped from a man at any time “T”. Make sure you marry that that man for those things that cannot be taken. Eyitemi Adebowale is an author, public speaker and a relationship /marriage coach working with Single Women and Young Wives who are new to the home building process. She is the Founder of HOME BUILDERS INTERNATIONAL whose vision is to build homes one wise woman at a time. She is happily married to Adesoji Adebowale and they are blessed with a child. For more of our articles visit www.eyitemithehomebuilder.blogspot.com and register your email address to receive our updates in your box For questions, enquiries, or comments, send a mail to homebuilderssn@gmail.com You can also follow on twitter @homebuilders12