I have come to the conclusion that boys are evil.
Well. Okay. Maybe not all the time. But they are definitely evil when it comes to playing with young girls' hearts. I guess some young girls do the same thing to boys, though. So maybe just teenagers are evil.
I was having a hard time with my breaking heart, so I (naturally) turned to my Bible and God for comfort. Sitting in the the church parking lot on a Monday morning, just me and God, I had an epiphany. I would like to share it with my audience.
God talked to me that day about considering a soulmate. He gave me a few guidelines to go by (things I hadn't been considering). I started like I usually do-- I opened my bible to a random page and began reading. I feel like God is in complete control this way, as I don't really choose what I read.
I opened my Bible to Ruth. I've read this book many times before, but it hit me different this time. It's always been a go-to book for considering a husband. I had been looking for the "Boaz" God has picked out for me. The problem was that I wasn't acting like Ruth. To get a better understanding of what this means, let us take a little walk through the beginning of the book.
If you are not familiar with this book, I'll explain the characters a little. Naomi is from Bethlehem, and she traveled to Moab with her husband and two sons. Both of her sons married Moabite women-- Orpah, and Ruth. Soon, Naomi's husband died, followed by her two sons. She is left with two daughters-in-law who adore her, but a country in which she does not belong. When Naomi decided to leave Moab and return to Bethlehem, her daughters-in-law wanted to accompany her. She knew that she couldn't provide them with another husband, so she commanded them to return to their mothers so they could marry again. Orpah left, but Ruth was determined to remain with Naomi. She wanted to take care of her, because she knew that Naomi had no one left to do that job.
Boaz (Naomi's kin) was first attracted to Ruth's hard work (see verses 4&5 in
chapter 2). The Bible tells us that after discovering her origin, he was
attracted to Ruth's compassion and benevolence toward Naomi. My epiphany came from this knowledge. I feel that it is incredibly important to note that a good man will be attracted to a woman who takes care of her family before herself.
Boaz told Ruth not to go harvest in another man's field so he could keep an eye on her and protect her. He had respect for her, because of her compassion for her mother-in-law. That is where a proper relationship starts: mutual respect.
Ruth remains in Boaz' fields. She harvests food for herself and Naomi--following Boaz' servents-- everyday. Meanwhile, Naomi masterminds a plan to get Boaz to marry Ruth. (The details are all found in the book of Ruth, but I won't go over them here.) In the end, Boaz marries Ruth and takes care of her and Naomi. My main point: Boaz was attracted to Ruth's benevolence before he even noticed her beauty.
Ruth accompanied Naomi anticipating an empty life. She gave up any chance she had of marrying again, because it was more important to her to make sure that Naomi was alright. Ruth's story teaches us an amazing story of selflessness, as she 100% put Naomi's needs above her own.
Can anyone tell me what is more attractive than that? Who would not want a spouse that takes care of your needs before his/her own?
I am not married, so I am not an expert in this topic. But I try to
listen when God is speaking to me, and I like to share what I learn. My advice to young women seeking a mate is this: don't search for your Boaz if you aren't willing to be Ruth. If you are ready to find your soulmate, then you must act like it! Put aside the heartbreak games and take things seriously. When you begin acting like the Godly woman you are supposed to be, then God will show you what He has in store for you.
