Into the Story of Ruth — Karla Gonzales

At such a dark time for wives to be widowed, a Moabite woman named Ruth chose to follow her mother-in-law and vowed to never abandon her. After losing their husbands in Moab, Naomi took Ruth back to her hometown in Bethlehem.

During this era, women without husbands usually resolved to prostitution in order to survive. However, both poor widows kept their dignity and virtue by opting to work manual labour in a field owned by a gracious man named Boaz.

Being a foreigner in that land Ruth was in danger of mistreatment and harassment. Nonetheless, God blessed her for her loyalty to Naomi through the compassion and kind heart of Boaz. With his altruism, the man went out of his way to protect Ruth by giving her fair treatment and privileges that were not commonly given to foreigners.

A beautiful depiction of good fortune through one’s loyalty, this story is a compelling analogy of how women pull themselves up by supporting one another. Had Ruth abandoned Naomi, she wouldn’t have found her refuge in Boaz. Indeed, good things do happen to good people as they say.

The Book of Ruth inspires as it portrays how one can be found in her own element and still be appreciated for what she is. That being a foreigner, being different should not be a deterrent to a life of goodness, for it is the content of a woman’s heart that truly matters.

The story not only features the empowerment of loyalty amongst women but also the goodness of a man’s heart found in the character of Boaz. A high-caliber man, he was known for treating his workers well and blessing them.

Having a nobleman who used his power to help people and genuinely cared for others is a satisfying full-circle ending to the story of Ruth who deserved nothing less than a counterpart. For truly, it takes a king of a man to recognize a queen of a woman.

There are many points of inspiration in this story that relates to today’s time.

First, it features loyalty among women. In this generation, how often do we see women compete against one another in order to get ahead by pulling each other down? We see that all the time, especially in the professional world. Women have acquired so much masculine drive that they have forgotten what it is like to genuinely care for one another.

This constant modern-day thirst for power has turned many working women toxic in their futile attempt to prove themselves when the opposite is actually true. Authentic power is the ability to lift each other up and true success is defined by the loyalty and trust formed by the bonds of sisterhood. Nurturing and cultivating genuine relationships is the essence of womanhood. Ruth did an honorable act of love by not leaving Naomi who was vulnerable.

Rewards do inevitably follow as God provides abundance to those whose intentions are pure, in many of His fruitful ways. Such is the case of Ruth who found redemption through the relational ties between Naomi and Boaz.

The second insight is the social pressure bestowed upon women to constantly seek out men. With the convenience of dating sites in this modern age, women have become so accessible and easy to the point where they have become a commodity, not a luxury.

Ruth was just working in that field doing her own thing when a great man such as Boaz found her. When a woman is secure with herself and what she is capable of, she exudes a sense of value. High-value women do not put themselves out there in an active hunt for a man. They focus on themselves by pulling up their bootstraps. Like diamonds, the heart of a woman can only be unearthed by the corresponding goodness of a man. Like attracts like as they say.

Desperation has crept up in so many women today that they forget how important it is to build themselves, emotionally, spiritually, financially, physically, mentally, and so forth. They are afraid to live boldly in the moment, holding back in fear of missing out on men. The truth is self-sufficiency and sustainability should be the main goal of a woman’s life, and the love of a deserving man should follow.

Ruth was not afraid to sustain herself. Having lost her husband, she courageously took on the role of standing by her mother-in-law when she could have just easily gone back home to her parents and found herself another man to look after her. Instead, she bravely ventured forth to a foreign land and labored in a field, albeit the potential risks. It took a great man in Boaz to see how extraordinary that was, and that was the kind of man that deserved a woman like her.

Women today need to have more faith in this process. One can put herself out there in public for all the men to see, or another can be hidden within the confines of her productive life and be discovered by the right man. For that’s all a woman really needs, the right one.

Lastly, the story uncovers the inspiration of a good man’s heart. Boaz was an exemplary wealthy man who greeted his workers and treated them well. He was respected by his people as he was known for his benevolence.

In today’s world crawling with powerful successful men who oftentimes manipulate and play with women’s feelings and even break them apart, a man like Boaz is a rare gem. The typical rich, charming, and privileged playboys have infested cynicism in the hearts of women that it is indeed challenging to filter out the frogs from the princes.

Many men use their intelligence, success, and power for egoistic and narcissistic trips that in turn, have plagued the idealism of true love. Boaz is the analogy that breaks this stereotype.

He did not fall into the cliché, rather, he remained true to himself by doing the honorable favor for Ruth. He ensured that she was not to be bothered and touched by other men and to be given access to the comforts of his territory as an official policy. With Ruth being a foreigner, Boaz knew that she was vulnerable to abuse, hence he gave her his protection — an act that set him apart from generic common men. Indeed, the true measure of manhood does not come from wealth, success, or power, but it is in the way a man treats a woman and all women in general.

There are many takeaways from this beautiful Biblical story which I personally find to be extremely rare, yet highly aspirational. Unpopular as it may be in this current day and age, still, there are things that we can learn from the old-fashioned.