Lesson Two • Serving Even When It Is Hard
Devotion #5: Life-Giving
Zach Honnen
Family can be such an uncomfortable subject for many. Family can be, by far, the most comforting, caring, and life-giving structure in our lives. Simultaneously, a family can hurt, annoy, and leave scars. As we continue to look at family through the book of Ruth, we will focus on service in the family. Ruth is one of the best examples we have of this.
We first see the kindness and love of Ruth for Naomi in chapter one. Despite her own pain, loss, and fears Ruth chose to serve Naomi. She was not seeking to get anything from her, for Naomi had nothing to offer. Ruth wanted to be faithful to her mother-in-law no matter the outcome. Instead of returning to her own mother and father, Ruth stayed with Naomi.
- Would you be willing to sacrifice what most people would consider being the best choice for your own life in order to serve another member of your family?
Continuing into chapter two we see that Ruth was eager and ready to serve her mother-in-law. Ruth 2:2 says, “And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, ‘Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.’ And she said to her, ‘Go, my daughter.’”
Ruth was immediately ready to serve. She was not self-seeking but was self-denying. She did not seek a husband of the richest or most attractive man in town, but only sought provision for herself and her mother-in-law. Keep in mind that Ruth is not only serving her mother-in-law, but she is also serving a woman who changed her name to Mara which literally means bitter. Ruth continued to serve Naomi even though she was bitter.
- When you are dealing with loss, are you able to serve your family?
- When your family is angry, bitter, or upset, are you still able to love and serve them as Ruth does?
Now, if Ruth was the only one serving in this family, it would be a very one-way relationship that would not be good for anyone. However, Naomi was serving Ruth as well. Naomi told Ruth what field to glean in and we can assume that Naomi taught Ruth the customs and the culture of the Jewish people.
A good, God-centered family seeks the betterment of the other members. If each member seeks to serve others, a family can truly be the most comforting, caring, and life-giving structure. The key is self-sacrifice. Ruth was a wonderful example of this and she is someone we should strive to emulate.
- What is one way you can put this principle into practice in your own family?
- How do you think it would impact your family dynamic if you chose to serve your family in this way?