Three Widows and a King

Leadership

Like a good ole' country song, she was on a run of bad luck. First, they ran out of food and there was no work, so they high-tailed it out of there to another town where there was hope. After a bit her husband died and thankfully, her two sons and their wives were there to take care of things...for a minute. A few years later, the boys died also, leaving Naomi with her two daughters-in-law. They were three widows living alone looking for a solution (I can see why men may be weary of being next...)

Naomi decided she better head back home and told the girls to go back to their parents and start over as she had nothing better to offer. One of them did, but the other, Ruth, decided to hang with Naomi. She was loyal, she was grateful, she was committed.

When they got back to Bethlehem, they were broke, so Ruth decided to do what broke people do, she went to look for work. She didn't play the victim, she didn't make excuses or ask for a handout, she hit the fields. It was the harvest season and she found someone kind enough to let her pick up the scraps after the front liners got the good stuff.

"And the foreman replied, 'She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes' rest in the shelter.'" (Ruth 2:6-7)

Boaz, the owner of the field saw her one day, and being a small town, he knew a little about her and Naomi's story, so he showed her great kindness. Over time, his respect and admiration for her grew and ultimately after a thorough vetting process, they got married, stabilized the family, and had a baby.

That baby ended up being the grandfather of King David...and through David, many generations later, there was Jesus.

"Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel." (Ruth 14:4)

As I read the book of Ruth, a few things jumped out at me:

Loyalty is rewarded and admired
Hard work overcomes hard times
Kindness is reciprocal
Dedication garners respect
Mutual respect can lead to great outcomes

It's awesome to know that in the bloodline of Jesus is a story of redemption birthed out of tragedy…just like most of our lives if we accept it. Hope is the by-product of loyalty, hard work, dedication, respect, and kindness. A pretty solid playbook for us all to follow.