From Bitterness to Blessing

Have you ever found yourself in bitterness, not seeing the point of the trials in your life?  At times like these I usually try to adjust my attitude.  However, my efforts become useless without the scriptures.  Today the Lord led me to the book of Ruth, and some pearls there for just such times as bitter trials.

Ruth was a woman who had been widowed, yet she dedicated her life to following someone who was bitter, her mother-in-law Naomi.  Naomi was also widowed, and not only bitter, but admitted that she had nothing to offer Ruth (Ru 1:12-13). 

In our lives, we tend to avoid bitter people.  However, it was in following Naomi that Ruth found her destiny.  At times the road to fulfillment in Christ is also one of hardship and disappointment, yet it leads to fulfillment and blessing.

Ruth found a blessing by serving her mother-in-law, Naomi.  She worked hard for their food by harvesting in a field, and the owner, Boaz, blessed her (Ru 2:4).  Boaz acknowledged her sacrifice and also prayed rewards would come to Ruth (Ru 2:11-12).

Prayers of blessing and reward can make our road sweeter, yet suffering and bitterness will tempt us to turn aside to an easier path.  However, Ruth stayed in Boaz’s fields until the harvests were finished (Ru 2:23). 

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Heb 12:11).

When the harvest was over and Ruth laid at Boaz’s feet, and he blessed her, saying “you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.”(Ru 3:10b).  We also will be blessed when we endure the discipline of our trials if we do not run after worldly pursuits.   It may be hard to stay through each harvest in our lives, but God has His eye on the prize of our heart; a heart that will choose him above the rewards of our flesh.

At the end of the book of Ruth we learn that Boaz bought all that Naomi had, including Ruth.  He turned both their lives into blessing (Ru 4:9-10; 13-15). Jesus has bought us with a price and He will not fail to bring out His righteousness in our hearts so that, if we faint not, we will receive our rewards and blessings in this life, and in the life to come.  Amen.