Book of Ruth

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. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”  Ruth 1:16 & 17

The book of Ruth is my favorite in the Bible. I love the story of sacrificial love for one’s mother in law and the great blessing from doing it. (Ruth is the grandmother of King David. See Ruth 4:13-22) Part of the reason I love that book is that I have the same kind of love for my mother in law. You see I was not raised in a Christian home. My parents did the best they could and I know that they believe in God but it was hard for them to model it when they were not taught what it means to be a Christian. My husband’s family was similar yet different. Although they did not consistently go to church, the grandchildren were taught the basics of being a Christian by their grandparents and their mother has always been a believer.

I have heard and seen from others that my relationship with my mother in law is a rarity. Here are a few reasons that we have a good one:

1)      My mother models always getting along with others no matter what and I try to be that way too. She works hard to show love to everyone in her and my dad’s family. Even after my parents divorced she maintained a relationship with his parents.

2)      My husband started praying about me way before we met for he had heard Billy Graham say be specific in your prayers.

3)      I wanted my kids to know and spend time with their grandparents because I spent time with mine.

4)      My mother in law enjoys being involved in her children’s and grand children’s lives.

Like all relationships we have our moments of misunderstanding and/or rubbing each other the wrong way but we always go back to love.

Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. Proverbs 10:12