UNWORTHY OF LOVE

No, my daughters; for it is more better for me than for you, for the hand of Yahweh has gone forth against me.

Ruth 1:13b

Have you ever been around a pessimist? It’s never an enjoyable experience. It doesn’t matter what happens, he still finds a way to interpret the cup as being only half full. One person tried to encourage a pessimist, “Try to be more positive.” to which the pessimist replied, “Okay… I’m positive that we will fail!”

Naomi seems to fit this description. Her pessimism underscores her assumption that God must not love her because she had failed personally (her husband and two sons died), relationally (she was unable to provide a husband for her two daughters-in-law), and religiously (she had failed to point her daughters-in-law to the true God, vs. 15). Her pessimistic attitude is further underscored as she attempts to persuade her daughters-in-law not to return with her (vs. 8, 11, 15). She must have thought of herself as having such “bad luck” that it would rub off on anyone who accompanied her. Her perception of life had become so skewed that she was attributing her problems to God. (v. 13)

So, when you encounter a pessimist, how should you react? Or, in this context, what was it that God used to soften the bitter heart of Naomi? It was the love and loyalty of the Moabitess Ruth. Yes, Naomi had messed up, but that did not mean that God now hated her. In fact, the opposite was true. God showed His love for Naomi by sending her a friend who would love her and help her to see how much He still loved her. Will you be that kind of friend to some pessimist today?

Philip Moeller