freedom

I never really realized how much I depend on my computer to give me freedom. . .not until I was without it. I get on my computer a hundred times a day to look things up, to look at recipes, to check on all kinds of different things. It is a very specific type of freedom that I didn't realize I depended on as heavily as I do. I have gone through periods where I didn't get on my computer for days because of travel or personal choice or desire to disconnect from being so connected (one of the reasons I really don't want a smart phone is that you are always available). However, it is a little different when it is a forced separation. Anyway. . .

My dear mum kindly offered to allow me to borrow her computer for the time being and then sent it to me next day by UPS, so I was only without a computer for the weekend. What an incredible blessing!!

I mentioned in my last post that I am studying Ruth again. This is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It is so in-depth and yet if you just take it at face value it is a good story. I have just really been struck by a couple of things lately. One is that the heart is illogical and therefore matters of the heart are illogical. The other is that God really does work in and through all things for His greater plan and purpose.

Ruth had great faith. She was a Moabite and yet she chose to follow after the God of Israel. She left behind all that was familiar and set out on a journey with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to a place that she had never known and an uncertain future. As they are setting out, Naomi urges Ruth and Orpah (her other daughter-in-law) to return to their homes and find new husbands. The path that Naomi points out is logical and makes sense. And while Orpah choses that road, Ruth follows her heart and makes a very seemingly illogical decision to go where she has absolutely no idea what the future will hold. Her "illogical" choice actually wasn't illogical at all when you consider the next thought.

God works in and through all things for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David. She is also one of the five women who are listed in the genealogy of Jesus. But let's rewind. Suppose there never was a famine in Israel. Naomi's family never would have left Bethlehem. Ruth never would have met her and never would have ended up back in Bethlehem. Or suppose that Naomi's husband and sons hadn't died. They probably never would have gone back to Bethlehem. Suppose that Ruth's first husband hadn't died. She would have still been a married woman (versus being a widow) and therefore couldn't have married Boaz.

What often seems most illogical to us is perfectly logical when you look at it from God's point of view. His hand is ever at work, weaving this elaborate masterpiece that we call life, and rarely do we catch site of it even when we are looking for it. Usually we only see the evidence that He has been at work when we look back and realize where He has been. That is faith. The evidence of things hoped for and the certainty of things unseen.

Peace and Mercy.

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