As we saw in our first post of the story of Ruth, and of
some parallels in that story to the life of my grandmother “Baba,” trials often
bring us to an important crossroads: rebel against God, or follow Him. When Ruth’s
husband, and that of her sister Orpah and mother-in-law Naomi, died in the
pagan nation of Moab, Ruth chose to follow Naomi back to her home in Bethlehem,
to be faithful not only to Naomi, but also to the true Jehovah God they both
served (Ruth 1:1-18).
After Baba’s husband and nine of her ten children died in
Nova Scotia, they did not return to Baba’s place of origin in the Ukraine, but
instead moved to a Russian community in Manhattan’s lower East Side. Both Ruth
and Baba had to trust God despite additional trials and the need for hard work.
Once Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, Naomi’s family
was happy to see her, but she expressed her bitterness that God had dealt so harshly
with her, taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:19-21). Ruth would have to become the breadwinner for
both of them by hard work in the fields of Boaz, Naomi’s relative and therefore
Ruth’s nearest kinsman by marriage (Ruth
2:1-3).
Baba had never learned to read or write, and she spoke only
a few halting words of English, so her job opportunities were extremely
limited. Still, she had to provide for herself and for my mother, and she was
not afraid of hard work. She found a job at a local bakery, where she went to
work at 5:30 AM six days a week. But the job had its perks, including bringing
home cookies and pastries that were left over at the end of the day!
Although Baba could have justifiably complained about her
hard life, I believe she had the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and joy in her salvation (Psalm 35:9). Like
her husband who had gone home to Jesus before her, I believe that Baba had
trusted in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6).
God’s plan for Ruth, predestined since before the beginning
of time (Ephesians 1:5,11),
was a plan of peace and not of evil (Jeremiah
29:11). The blessing He gave her of leading her to the fields of Boaz
was only the beginning of His reward for her faithfulness. Boaz admired Ruth’s dedication
and faith, offering her the opportunity to glean exclusively in his fields,
feeding her as she worked, and arranging for his men to leave handfuls of
barley behind them as they worked his fields, so that Ruth could gather extra
to feed herself and Naomi (Ruth 2:1-18).
Boaz assured Ruth, “The
Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of
Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” (v. 12)
Boaz, who is an Old Testament foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, showed abundant grace and mercy to Ruth even though she was a stranger
to his people and she had come from a pagan nation worshipping false gods.
Thankfully, God has opened the plan of salvation to all peoples, to whosoever
will believe in His Son (John 3:16;
Romans 1:16; 10:12) and be saved by His grace (Ephesians 2:7-10).
Baba’s new church community in New York supported her in
love and prayer and helped to bear her burdens (Galatians 6:2), for they appreciated her diligence, character,
and faithfulness to her fellow believers. She became a sister in the church and
contributed her time and service to its ministry. Through the church, she met a
well-to-do and kindly older man who hired her for janitorial work in his office
building and arranged for her to be enrolled in Social Security.
It is amazing how God brings just the right people into our
lives at just the right time, to accomplish His purpose for us. God will always
reward faithfulness, obedience, and trust in Him by providing for our physical
needs (Psalm 37:25; Matthew 6:25-34)
and blessing us spiritually beyond measure!
No matter what hardships we may endure in this life, God’s
children can rejoice always (Philippians
4:4), knowing that we will spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus and our
loved ones in Him, enjoying the Heavenly City (Hebrews 11:16; 12:22), our glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:35-58), and even
our own mansions He has specially prepared for us (John 14:2-3). You can’t outgive God, as both Ruth and Baba
discovered, and as we shall explore further in our next post!
© 2018 Laurie Collett
