Todd Barrier  

Last week we began looking at two amazing women of the Bible. Naomi and Ruth’s story began with a tragedy; the death of Naomi’s husband and sons. Naomi is overcome by the tragedies and Ruth is led to cling to God even more. In this story we learn an important lesson and that is, that family matters. It mattered when Ruth married into this family, because everything she knows of God came from this family. She stuck with Naomi because of the commitment this family taught her. She has what we all should strive to have, a physical family that is connected with a spiritual family. We are born into our physical family and born again into our spiritual family and hopefully these two things connect. For Naomi and Ruth, it does and it will lead them on a journey with God leading the way. In chapter two we are introduced to the third person in this patchwork family, Boaz. Boaz recognizes all that Ruth is doing for her mother-in-law and rewards her by allowing her to work in his fields. Because Ruth is doing what God is leading her to do, Boaz knows he is the vessel in which God is blessing his extended family. This family has now gone from tragedy to being able to see God’s plan unfolding before their eyes. All of this is happening because family matters. Are you developing the right attitudes and behaviors in your family during good times so that when difficult times come an atmosphere of healing, help and hope is present?