Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me?”
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. “Do not press me to leave
you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go.”
– Ruth 1:11-16 excerpts (NRSV)
KAJI DOUŠA | Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi are having here what we might call a “tough conversation.” This plea from Ruth to her mother-in-law is . . .
Radical.
Do not press me to leave you! Where you go, I will go.
You have to understand, these women were going through a rough time (which is an understatement). They had just experienced a series of losses. Back to Bethlehem they went, where things would prove to continue to be desperate.
But you know what? These women—with all kinds of biblical #MeToo moments—turned out to be survivors. Because they clung to each other.
Don’t press me to leave you! Where you go, I will go.
No matter who you are, you need a Ruth Circle. What is yours? Is it at the church? It can be. To whom will you say: “Where you go, I will go! Do not press me to leave you! I got you! I have your back.”
Prioritize your own Ruth Circle. In Jesus’ name.
Jesus never said: “I am God.” He did say: “I am one with God.” (John 10:30)