“When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.” -Ruth 1:18
Motherhood is a fraught endeavor. Whether you long to be a mother, have a strained or enmeshed relationship with your own mother, have gained a mother-in-law or become a mother-in-law, our culture is quick to point out the many ways motherhood can be done wrong.
The story of Ruth, recorded in scripture has a number of significant threads, but perhaps most overlooked is the friendship forged through marriage and grief. There aren’t many biblical instructions for in-laws, yet this account offers us some precious ideas.
Bonded through hardship, Ruth and Naomi demonstrate a commitment to and companionship with one another that is a blessing to be hoped for (but never guaranteed). The reality is that families aren’t always friends. We may not choose who joins our family life, but we can choose how we respond to each other.
In the midst of her heartache, Naomi prays that her daughters-in-law will have everything she has lost. She releases them from any obligations, freeing them from responsibility to and for her in hopes of their thriving.
How might you be a blessing to others in your network, even when you face hardship, grief and loss? How might you pray for, release and respond to those who share life with you?
Strengthen my commitments, God, that in companioning others through grief and hardship I may be a blessing. Amen.
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Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.
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