Ruth 1: The Lie of Isolation

“I am sure that you do not want to wait until they are old enough for you to marry them! Would you wait all that time and not marry anyone else? So, my daughters, you must not return to Judah with me. You should not have to share my pain. The Lord has turned against me.’” Ruth 1:13 EASY

Even a year ago, I would’ve read this verse and thought, What did Naomi do wrong for the Lord to allow all of this? The best part of my reading today...that is NOT where my mind goes anymore. Today, I understand something deeper about the world we live in—this broken, fallen place where free will means there are consequences, some self-inflicted and some that hit us because of someone else’s choices.

I get Naomi’s instinct here. Things are already hard enough for me—I wouldn’t want to drag anyone else into this. That’s a thought I’ve had many times. This kind of thinking has been a trap for sure. It's the kind of thinking the enemy uses to isolate us, to convince us we’re better off alone.

Isolation is where his lies get loud.

I’m learning to ask the Lord to show me the hard places in my life that aren’t punishment. They’re not evidence that He’s mad at me. They’re just… life in a broken world. Even in those places, maybe especially in those places, He is with me. He does not leave me. I’m not alone. Time and time again I recognize (after the fact) He already placed people around me to walk with me too—if I’ll just let them in.

What part of your life have you been viewing as punishment that might just be the result of a broken world? Who might God be trying to send your way to remind you you’re not alone?