Ruth and Naomi, both widowed, alone, with no stability, security or sense of purpose, went to Judah looking for bread. Naomi was so depressed that she even made herself called Mara, which meant bitterness. Ruth, who went with her, was also troubled by all of the situations she had been through. Yes, they had every human reason to feel bitter, discouraged, alone, unfulfilled, empty and unworthy. But then came Boaz. As the story unfolds, Boaz provided and restored them completely. He made Ruth, previously a foreigner, his wife.
Who are you?, he asked. She did not say, I am a widow; I am a beggar, eating scraps from your fields. She did not allow her circumstances give identity to her. She did not allow her situation take control of her mindset and take root in her heart. She did not allow outside influences determine who she was, she plainly answered, “I am your servant”.
You need to know who you are. Your circumstances do not dictate your identity. Your moods, your emotions, your finances, don’t determine who you are. As Naomi, you may be going through extremely difficult times, that may even change the way you regard yourself. Regrets and discouragement can overtake you, but when you realize that you are a servant of the most High God, not a foreigner, He will restore you, He will bless you, He will keep you and bring you under His wing. He will make you stand tall and shine upon your face, and will give you favor and grace and strength.
The realization that you and I are His, determine our identity, and no matter what pans out around us, He will be our El Shaddai, the God that is more than enough. When we seek Him, when we worship Him in the middle of our trials, He will lift us and he will guide us, and he will bless us until it overflows. The circumstances only affirm that we are His. Who are you? Jesus answered that question when he came and gave himself for our sins and restored everything.
So the question remains, Who are you? Jesus already answered that, You are His. Stand up and receive what is yours!
“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”
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© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2006
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE boldly 