Whither Thou Goest

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Ruth 1:16

We have left family behind for more than 20 years now. Our first 3 moves kept us in Arkansas even though we weren't in the same city as my mother and sister. We left great friends, two of whom I've written about already, Tim and Wanda Makool. Our forth move took us from our youngest son and his family (our other two children and their family had already moved from Arkansas) and my mother, my sister and Rick's mother and brothers.

There was a lot of guilt in the move that took us out of state, away from our family. I felt I had abandoned them. Each time we leave a church family I have that same guilt.  There were those, in each church, that didn't want us to leave, anymore than we wanted to leave them.  We had grown close as family, as it should be.  Leaving family, whether blood or church, is always hard.

I follow my husband because I know it's the right thing to do. Not just because he's my husband and I love him and would go anywhere with him but also because his desire is to go where The Lord would have him go, to do God's will, no matter where that takes us. I trust him. But even more than that, I trust The Lord!!

I know that I'm not the only wife that has followed her husband to places unknown, as it were.  They've left family and gone into situations that felt fleeting and left them feeling insecure.  It's easy to become resentful of our husbands when we put our trust in the 'job' that took us there, or anger because their is no job.  That seems to be the case more and more these days in our economy.  

When I look at Ruth and put myself in her place I realize my insecurities are nothing compared to what she must have felt. Here she is a young widow making a decision to be totally dependent on Naomi. She's willingly leaving her family to go into the unknown with no husband to provide for her.  But because of Naomi's faithfulness, Ruth had come to know the one and only God.  A God that would provide for them both.

That same God still exists today.  We can depend on Him to provide our every need.  We don't have to be afraid of the unknown. We don't have to worry about tomorrow.  We can overcome the fear that brings about resentment and anger.  We can face the unknown with joy and the calm assurance that God has our back.

Matthew 6:25-34

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his lifeb?

28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Are you willing to hand it all over to Him and face the unknown?  It doesn't have to be a drastic move like Ruth made.  It can be any number of things.  Face your fear, God has your back!

~ Sharon