Redeemed Is Your Name!نموونە

Nothing New Under the Sun

When we’re going through challenging times, it’s easy to think these experiences are unique to us. Our hurt is personal and direct. Our natural instinct is to try to make sense of it all. Why did this happen? What, if anything, could have prevented this from happening? Why, why, why?

The ambush of unwelcome change produces a dilemma. How do we live in its midst? Do we confront, overlook, deny, accept, flee, embrace, or reconcile its presence?

If you think my words are telling your story, that’s proof you’re not alone in what you’re experiencing. I, too, have wondered the same things in the wake of tremendous loss. Why? Why? Why?

In need of wisdom, I go to the Bible, searching how others have handled similar circumstances. Interestingly enough, the extensive list of travelers through the land of tremendous loss bears witness there’s nothing new under the sun. From Genesis through Revelation, named and unnamed people encounter life’s contours of highs, lows, twists, turns, elation, despair, beginnings, and endings. 

Applying my keywords of loss and redemption, I zero in on the life of Ruth, a Moabite, newly widowed around the year 1283 BC. With more than 3,200 years separating our lifetimes, what could Ruth teach us? Explore the remainder of this plan and discover rich insight for thriving in the midst of life-altering loss. Furthermore, consider how Ruth’s life story parallels the greatest love story of all – God’s love for us.