"Backdoor Blessing"

What is love? Naomi eventually learned what Ruth always knew. Love protects. It guards the reputation and value of the beloved. It prepares for the beloved's future: "One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, 'My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for' " (Ruth 3:1-2). It seeks the beloved's highest good. Love is not jealous. Naomi rejoices in Ruth's marriage and subsequent birth of a son.  She stopped demanding her own way. She was kind and tender to her young charge, Obed.  She released her feelings of being wronged by God. She left her irritability behind.

The miserable woman who wanted only to be known as Mara, bitter, allowed the community women to see her and offer her blessings without once rudely throwing them back in their faces: ^"So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth” (Ruth 4:13-16).

She could have said, "this child is not really my grandchild." But she realized that God chose to bless through the backdoor.  When what we expected doesn't happen, we are tempted to be angry at God. But, God intends to bless us through a backdoor.  He plans on blessing us through a relationship we have never imagined. He brings into our lives someone markedly different from us so that race, culture, gender, and age become bridges, not boundries. Through a distant relative and a foreign woman, God intended to bless Naomi and Ruth. Naomi rejoiced that truth had won out- that Abba God is faithful. The enemy often comes to accuse and hurl insults, not at us, but  at our Daddy God. He tells us, "His too long in keeping his promises;" "He hasn't heard your cries." It is easy to believe that especially where other people are involved. He needs time to change us and them.  But love never gives up. Naomi saw that in Ruth when she arose every morning to work in Boaz's field.   Ruth somehow did not lose faith. Love always hopes and endures through every circumstance.

I have a friend who is traversing through a difficult time; each time he speaks of the person he loves, it is with respect, never rancor, for her ending the relationship. Love protects, even when the one who has offended doesn't deserve it. It protects reputation, honor, self-esteem, and self-concept. It speaks God's promises over the beloved and calls for God's goodness to shower that person so that he or she can walk into his or her destiny.

I have another friend who was not defended or protected by her mother, father, brothers, or husband; she has wounds that run deep that God is graciously healing. When we fail to protect those we love with our words and actions, we hurt their self-concept, self-esteem, and we leave them with questions about their worth and value. They wonder if they are worth fighting for- worth defending, worth loving.


Remember, Love Always Protects,

M.J.