Remembering Ruth (11/5/2024)

Mother-in-laws should be a gift, and I give thanks regularly for mine. She taught me about hospitality, opening not only her home to me but also her heart. She always amazed me by her ability to read “the signs of the time.” She was a wise woman who could read the LORD’s will for her well, even when it meant tackling new and challenging things.

When I first met her, I was amazed to find that she was an EMT on the local, small town ambulance crew. She’d decided to do that after the death of her second husband. She recognized the need in their community for volunteers who would come when needed and help families hit by the unexpected. Over the years, I saw her tackle so many other things as she was made aware of both the need and of the LORD’s calling to step into the fray and bring her gifts with her, especially her love for others. She took on directing the town’s senior center when most of us would have been considering retirement. And her dedication and gifts made a difference.

As I think back, I believe that is where I got the “I can do that” idea, watching her see needs and discerning that the LORD was showing her this for a reason. Believing that she didn’t go alone into the need, that the LORD was with her and was gifting her for the moment made her efforts meaningful and effective. And in all of this, she also taught me about humility – “Put on the apron of humility and serve the LORD.”

Today I give thanks for my mother-in-law, Ruth. I pray for her. I pray she knows I miss her. I pray that I can be like her in the moment when the LORD reveals a need for which He’s gifted me to respond. And I pray that I will be humble as she was humble, and always loving.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.