I was standing in the dining room, looking out the back window at our beautiful backyard. The pool sparkled blue and white as the sun reflected off of the rippling water. And in the corner of the yard, there’s a plush green garden. I remembered how I had wanted to put a bird bath there.

A sudden wave of regret swept over me.

“I must have been deluded to give this up.”

Crestfallen, I turned away from the view to continue packing up boxes and begin to cry.

In order to be in obedience with God, you need the discernment and the trust in God to go when He says “Go” and to stay when He says “Stay”. This requires a heart that is devoted to Him so that you may hear His direction.

God was telling me to go, but at the beginning of the book of Ruth, God told a family to stay. It doesn’t take long to see the consequences of not being in obedience with God.

(Ruth 1:1-2) Elimilech and his wife, Naomi, fled Bethlehem during a famine with their two sons: Mahlon and Chilion. While this seems perfectly reasonable to do in an effort to save your family, there was a problem with their strategy: The famine was part of God’s judgement on Israel for taking part in pagan nations and their rituals. But God, in all His goodness, promised to restore Israel if they repented. They were, after all, His chosen people.

Another problem was that Elimilech and his family retreated to the pagan city of Moab. Moab’s very foundation is sinful. (Find out why in Genesis 19:30-36 (This is one of those stories that make you squirm in your seat if it is ever brought up. All I’ll say is that is Moab is the name of Lot’s son…who was also his grandson.)

And yet another problem with the decision to take refuge in Moab was that it took them out of Israel which was under God’s protection. Within 10 years, Elimilech died. Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women. And then the sons died leaving three widowed women: Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth. (Ruth 1:3-5) This is where the story truly begins.

I understand wanting to go the easier route for my family. Or, at least, the route that makes sense to me. I was tired of packing. I was tired of grieving. I was tired of worrying about what we were getting ourselves into.

I was tired of being obedient.

Staying in my spacious home with our beautiful backyard would’ve been way more comfortable. But God doesn’t call for a comfortable life.

Staying suddenly felt uncomfortable knowing my Heavenly Father was leading me somewhere else. It didn’t make the move easier, but my commitment to Him brought me peace. That’s why He calls us to follow His way. Not for His sake. For our’s. And it goes even further as He uses us to bless others now and for generations to come.

Where there is devotion, there is love. Where there is change, there are new beginnings. And where there are broken dreams, there is hope.

Ruth shows us how to face change, uncertainty, and broken dreams through her devotion to God. We’ll see more of her next time.

Songs & scripture for times such as these: Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Randy Travis); Come to the River (Rhett Walker Band); All I Ask (Meredith Andrews)

Psalm 61:2 ; Proverbs 23: 12 ; Psalm 119:10