By Jamin Roller
In reading Ruth this morning, I was struck by a truth I already know but one that I do need to be reminded of often.
God does beautiful work through our small acts of love.
It is easy for my heart to believe what matters most is being really talented and using that talent in very public ways. To find real value in having answers to hard questions or being the smartest person in the room—that we most glorify God when we are used by Him in grand and visible ways. These are the beliefs that reflect disordered desires and misplaced values.
Ruth has a way of exposing all that. Throughout the book, we see God’s redemptive grace restoring the life of a family through small acts of love.
We see it in the very beginning when a grieving Naomi begged her daughters to leave her for the life they had. Naomi argued life with her would only get worse for them. While Orpah loved her, she ultimately conceded with a tearful kiss and left for home. It would have made sense for Ruth to do the same, but Ruth’s love for Naomi was stronger than Naomi’s plea. Instead of leaving her, she pledged her loyalty.
Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
—Ruth 1:16
There was no crowd around when she said this. She did not say what she said out of obligation or to be impressive. She did not know that this conversation would make its way into the pages of sacred Scripture. A sad young widow looked into the eyes of her grieving mother-in-law and said, “I am with you wherever you go,” simply out of love.
God did beautiful work through her small act of love.
Without this moment and Ruth’s faithfulness to her promise, the story would end here. They would go their separate ways, and Naomi’s life would remain “bitter.” Instead, Ruth’s love caught the attention of Boaz, and he responded with loyal love of his own. Through Boaz, God redeemed their family and restored what was lost. The book begins in tragedy and death but ends in joy and new birth.
God did beautiful work through her small act of love.
I needed this reminder today. One of the most important things we can do is offer loyal love to those God has placed in our life. To meet them in every moment but especially when life is hard with an “I am with you and will not leave you” kind of love. Jesus our Savior, who was born in the lineage of Ruth, loves us this way. His loyal love redeemed sinful humanity and adopted us into the family of God. As followers of Jesus, we can love in the way He has loved us.
When we do, God does beautiful things.
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