But Ruth replied, “don’t urged me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where are 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
Faithfulness happens when the grass looks greener in the other field, but you choose to stay where you were already fed.
Life has its ups and downs and sometimes the lows can see more numerous than the highs. And when everything seems to be low you may begin looking in other directions than the direction you’re going. Often times, however, when the direction you’re going feels hard, the direction you’re going is the area in which you’re growing.
Ruth was faithful. A fairly young married woman, becomes a widow after 10 years. Her father-in-law and brother-in-law have both passed away, and her sister-in-law has headed home. But Ruth, she saw her mother-in-law, Naomi, with no relatives: no children, no husband, no grandkids, and she was moved by her new faith to stay. She could’ve gone back home, found a new husband, been with her family and friends as she mourned, but Ruth knew that Naomi needed her more and she would be faithful.
The grass may have seemed greener in another direction, but the long unknown road is the direction Ruth decided to go. Ruth’s road wasn’t harmful to her, it was just hard for her, and there was an easier way it seemed. But her faithfulness in the Hard would eventually be a blessing to her and many other generations to come.
We all have these opportunities in front of us to be faithful in the hard times, to walk the long road and not turn away. Years of hard can make us stronger in the end and prepare us for the future God has in store. There may be generations to come that need us to be faithful in the Hard today, so they can be faithful in the hard tomorrow.
Jesus was faithful as he walked into the garden to pray. He knew he’d be met by those who would take him captive and eventually kill him. He asked God to take this cup from him if he willed, but if not, His will be done.
Jesus carried his cross all the way to Golgotha, he could have freed himself, but instead he was faithful to death and his death is what brought us life.
Where does your road seem hard? What are you wanting to turn from because you can’t do this any longer? Is God calling you to be faithful in this area? Is he trying to grow you for a grander plan?
Pray. Fast. Stay Faithful. Grow.
Running 2 Fly 