Starting Over With Strength
Ruth — Starting Over with Strength Day 1: Loss and Loyalty Key Verse: “But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.’” — Ruth 1:16 (NIV)
Last week, we met several women from the Bible whose stories were raw, beautiful, and sometimes painful. This week, we’re taking a deeper dive — spending five days with one woman at a time. We begin with Ruth, a woman who reminds us that grief doesn’t disqualify you, and loyalty is a spiritual superpower. Her story is tender and bold, painful and redemptive. And as we’ll see… she wasn’t just part of a good story — she became part of the greatest story ever told.
Meet Ruth (Again) Ruth was a Moabite woman — born into a culture that worshipped false gods and often opposed Israel. She married an Israelite man named Mahlon, the son of Elimelech and Naomi. Most likely, it was an arranged marriage, which was customary at the time. But love and respect must have grown there. Because when tragedy struck — the death of her father-in-law, brother-in-law, and her own husband — Ruth didn’t just grieve and go home. She chose Naomi. She chose the God of Israel. She chose a future she couldn’t see.
Grief Is Not Linear Let’s talk honestly about grief. Two weeks ago, a catastrophic flood swept through Central Texas, claiming over 170 lives on what should’ve been a celebratory July 4th. Among those lost were sweet young girls from Camp Mystic — taken in the middle of the night while they slept peacefully in their cabins. There are no words for that kind of grief. I have friends who have buried children. Some of you reading this may have, too. There is no logic. There is no way to make it make sense. I’ve stopped trying. What I do know is this: grief doesn’t move in a straight line. It loops and dips and surges like floodwaters. One day you think you're healing — then a smell, a song, or a story knocks you back down. Naomi was living that reality. She told people to stop calling her Naomi (which means "pleasant") and to call her Mara — "bitter" — instead. She felt forgotten. Abandoned. Ruined. And Ruth? She was grieving, too. But instead of returning to her family, she stayed. She walked alongside Naomi into the unknown. Why? What made her stay? 🤍 Loyalty in the Dark The Hebrew word that best describes Ruth’s commitment is chesed — deep, loyal, covenantal love. This word shows up throughout the Old Testament to describe God's faithful love. Ruth lived it out toward Naomi. And let's pause here for a moment: this loyalty was directed at her mother-in-law. Let’s just say, that’s not usually the relationship where loyalty flows so freely. As a mother-in-law myself, I get it. I want to be the kind of woman that my daughter-in-law, the mother of my grandchildren, wants to be around. I want to be invited, not just endured. I want to be a safe space. And y’all — if you’ve got advice on how to be a great mother-in-law, send it my way. I’m serious. Naomi must have done something right. She gave Ruth no pressure. She actually encouraged her to go back home. But maybe it was that gentleness… that lack of pressure… that made Ruth stay.
Why Ruth Didn't Go Home Culturally, it made more sense for Ruth to return to Moab: She was still young. She could have remarried. She would’ve been back in familiar territory. But she didn’t. She said, “Your people will be my people, and your God my God.” Why? Because maybe home didn’t feel like home anymore. Maybe her heart had already turned toward Naomi’s God — Yahweh. Maybe she saw something sacred in Naomi’s pain and presence that made her want to stay close. Whatever her reason, Ruth gave up everything she knew… and stepped into everything God had prepared.
A Glimpse of Jesus Ruth’s story is a quiet foreshadowing of Jesus: She left her home and comfort to walk with someone hurting — just as Jesus left heaven to walk with us. She chose loyalty over comfort — as Jesus chose the cross. She grafted herself into a family she didn’t belong to — as Jesus grafts us into His. The outsiders became insiders. The forgotten became central. The grieving found new joy.
Reflection Questions Are you in a season of grief? What stage are you in — and what are you learning there? Who in your life has shown you “chesed” love — that fierce, faithful loyalty? Have you ever walked with someone through grief like Ruth did? What fears might have kept Ruth from going forward — and how do they mirror your own? What kind of mother-in-law (or spiritual mother) do you want to be?
Prayer Lord, I don’t understand the depth of grief in this world. I won’t pretend to. But I trust that You are the God who sees. You are with the grieving. You walk with the lonely. Help me to walk in loyalty, in love, and in faith — even when the path ahead looks dark. Show me how to stay near to You, just like Ruth stayed near to Naomi. And thank You, Lord, for always staying near to me. Amen.
