But as true and sweet an allegory as that is, let’s not overlook the fact that first and foremost Ruth is about widows! It's all about widows! The main characters—Ruth and Naomi are widows! Ruth is a young widow, Naomi is a middle-aged or older widow. A secondary character, Orpah, is also a young widow. Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer might have also been widowed since mention of his first wife is never made. Hmm… I love the story of Christ our Redeemer, but should we not acknowledge the obvious and wonder what could be of interest to widows in this book?
There are only two books in the Bible featuring a
woman—the Book of Ruth and the Book of Esther. (Ruth was a widow, and Esther was
an orphan! James 1:27!) It’s very significant to realize that God
inspired Scripture to devote an entire book to a widow’s plight. God cares
about widows! He knows the
risks they’ll face, the courage they’ll need and the deep and gutsy faith they
will display. He is pleased to provide and care for
them; they have a special position in Scripture and in God's sight.
Join me for the
next few weeks as we look into these ten reasons why Ruth is for widows. I've
touched on the first reason today--Ruth is all about widows! When we look at Ruth through our widow eyes
we'll come away knowing that just as certain as God had a plan for Ruth and
Naomi, He has a purpose for widows, including you, dear reader.
♥
ferree
10 Reasons Why Ruth Is For Widows
1. It’s all about widows!
2. It shows the 3 paths a widow could choose after the funeral.
3. It tells the 2 essential needs of widows.
4. It sheds light on the sort of friend a grieving widow needs.
5. It shows that widowsd can have extraordinary courage and faith.
6. It shows many layers of loss a widow might experience, even down to the core of her identity.
7. It unlocks the 2 secrets to transform loss to life.
8. For widows who want to remarry it illustrates the character traits to look for in a new husband, and shows the virtues that the widow can build while single.
9. It shows that not all widows want to or will get remarried and here's the shocker---that’s OK!
10. It shows God's amazing redemption and hope for widows!
These are a few of the topics addressed in my book Postcards from the Widows' Path. It's been a great blessing to way over a thousand women already and I hope you'll order a copy for yourself---but wait, not yet! Take advantage of my blog anniversary---6 years in February! Order your copy during the anniversary sale from Feb. 1 - 16 and you'll save 20%. ♥
The book of Ruth was the first book I turned to after the death of my husband because I was looking for another widow who knew what I was going through. Your book has been the greatest blessing to me and to other widows that I have had the privilege to send it to.mit is one of those "must have" books for any widow of any age whether they are a newly widowed or miuch further down the road. Looking forward to your upcoming posts and to your Feb. sale.
ReplyDeleteCandy
Dear Candy, Thank you for your kind words and for recommending "Postcards..." I think key to why it has blessed so many widows is simply because it's God's Word come to life where we're at. It was like I felt a deep friendship forming with Naomi and Ruth as I wrote it---they understood me, and I understood them. But it's really that the Lord understands widows! He's the genius who mapped out their lives so their stories would be relevant even today, I can't thank Him enough! He knows how to meet each of our needs, in His perfect timing.
ReplyDeleteWow, its like I knew Ruth was a widow, but it didn't hit me until you published this post. Amazing! I'm looking forward to the upcoming posts about the book of Ruth. Thank you Ferree.
ReplyDeleteDanyell, I didn't think anything about Ruth being a widow at first either. But then once I began reading it as a widow I kept discovering amazing wisdom and help each time I opened it! The first thing that struck me was 3 choices for widows. My parents wanted me to move back "home," and I realized that was the choice Naomi made---to return. But the other 2 widows made very different choices and it was such a help for me to see the 3 choices laid out in Scripture for them, and for me! Tomorrow's blog will highlight these choices and I hope you'll find it as helpful as I did. It's a just a mere glimpse of all the wisdom found in Ruth for widows.
ReplyDelete