Grieving
Changing
Working
Waiting
Blessing
And today we start the middle section, Ruth 2 ---Working. ugh! But the truth is that widowhood is work---hard work! It's easy to remember that Ruth worked. Nary a sermon or Bible study will fail to mention Ruth gleaning in the barley fields, but did you know she worked the wheat harvest too? And Naomi also found plenty of work. As Ruth 2 opens, we see she takes time to recover from the journey. But she soon finds a worthy project to focus on. I like to think she inspired the songwriter from "Fiddler On The Roof" who wrote "Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match..."
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It's not fun to work. That's why it's called work, not play, right? But God used their needs to introduce them to someone who could help them. He used their needs to change their world---and now their story reaches us--- and we have needs--- we can see God's up to something!
What's next, Lord?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(chapter 11 of Postcards, and Ruth 2)
If since the day your husband died, your life would follow along the five transitions from Grieving to Changing to Working to Waiting to Blessing, which phase do you think you're in right now? Is God up to something in your life too?
PRAYER
Dear Lord,
I honestly don't like having needs, but I know you can use them to situate me in a place of blessing. Like Ruth, please help me find a field in which I'll find favor.
Amen
I'm struggling with what type of work to do and trying to decide if I should work full-time or part-time. I helped a lot of people when I had my tax business, worked with a lot of seniors, may get back into that.
ReplyDeleteWow, Teri, you could help a lot of widows do their taxes too! You've got some big decisions ahead of you though, keep asking God and trusting. He'll show you the way. Proverbs 3:5,6 You have a lot of options and sometimes that makes it harder to decide, but take it one step at a time and talk it out with some good advisors.
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