My Mother was one of those people who didn’t want anyone to notice something amiss. In fact, she didn’t want anyone to notice anything at all. In a word, she was an introvert. If you knew my Mom, she wouldn’t have appeared a worshipful person, but nothing could be further from the truth. She was a whole-hearted worshipper.
I remember countless times seeing her read the Bible. I recall the countless prayers I heard her pray for our family and others. And I couldn’t begin to tell you about her times of selfless service to others. I suppose they would add up in the thousands. My Mom has passed on to glory, but if she were here, she wouldn’t want me to call attention to her or solicit any praise on her behalf. But I must say this, she lived out her faith with the personality that God gave to her, without question.
God doesn’t always choose the dynamic personality of the likes of Elijah or Paul. Sometimes, He chooses the unexpected, unassuming, quiet introvert. I think that Ruth may fall into that category. She never did anything flashy that would draw attention to herself. All we see in her is a fierce faithfulness and unrelenting loyalty.
How interesting it is, then, that her faithfulness and loyalty provide a plot-twist only a Master Storyteller could fabricate: Ruth became the Grandmother of David [Matthew 1.5-6] and, ultimately, an ancestor of Jesus [1.6-16].
Whether you are Ruth-like or Elijah-like, quiet or exuberant, our confidence must always be rooted in Christ.
And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Ruth 2.11-12
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