16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to abandon you, to turn back from following after you. Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord do this to me and more so if even death separates me from you.” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her about it.
Reflection
I can sympathize with Ruth in this moment.
My husband and I met as teenagers at summer camp. It’s a really cute story for another time, but the relevant part is within the week that we were in the Leaders In Training program together, I knew I liked him. By the end of the second week we spent together as co-counselors, (by pure luck or divine intervention?) I knew I REALLY liked him.
We spent a couple of months in a long-distance relationship, but that’s extra tough when you’re still in high school and multiple states away from each other… it didn’t last. But my friends in high school can tell you, I was miserable about the break-up for months. I was pretty sure I was never going to find love again.
Fast forward to 2015… we reconnect. Things are going well, but summer is coming to an end, and he still has one semester of college to complete in Florida, when I’ve already got a teaching job in New Hampshire. I’m facing more long-distance relationship with the now man that I’m madly in love with. I’m trying really, REALLY hard to play it cool, but every fiber of my being says “GO WITH HIM!!!” I agreed to ride along with him on his drive back to Florida and I would fly back to New Hampshire in time to start my job. It was a really fun few days but saying goodbye at the airport was awful. I was definitely trying to hold back tears and definitely failing.
Luckily, our relationship survived that stint of long distance, and there would be one more. When he got his first job in Texas, but I was in the middle of the school year in New Hampshire. It was guaranteed to be the last stint though because he surprised me with a marriage proposal that Christmas. I didn’t have to play it cool anymore!!! When the school year finished, I followed him to Texas as quickly as I could. Then I followed him to California! I never imagined living in either location, but by golly, I was never letting that boy out of my sight again.
It’s something special to find that person that completes you. Even if you’re not sure what the next phase of life will bring, at least you know that person will be there to navigate it with you. For Ruth, it was her mother-in-law. For me, it’s my husband. For you, maybe it’s a best friend, a partner, an in-law, or even a pet. A relationship like that is a miracle, and faith is faith. Knowing that you’ll be okay no matter what because you’ve got your person is worth celebrating every chance you have.
by Ashley Bowler
For Pondering and Prayer
Who is your person? Who would you follow across the country? Or who would follow you?
How does this relationship help you navigate this unpredictable and adventurous life?
Prayer:
Dear God, Thank you for the people in our lives that make life so much better. Thank you for the relationships that lead us into adventures, that lead us through grief, that lead us to better versions of ourselves. Amen