Beneath Servant Girls

“You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant – though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls.” Ruth 2:13b.

What was Ruth basically stating in fact to her master? She was aware of her social status not even being equal to the lowliest in the country for which she found herself. She had been and continued to be in a season of humility. She most likely was in equal standing with the others in Moab – a Moabitess who was probably envied due to her beauty coupled with the fact that she ‘married well.’ (We are told that Naomi’s family was prosperous when coming to Moab. They came to avoid the famine in their land.) Due to her true humility, her blessings and rewards were right around the corner.

Most of my caregiving experiences have been at my choosing and my own timeline. Honestly speaking, my motivation was less than stellar as it fed my ‘feel good appetite’, leading up to my father-in-law living with us. Prior to him moving in, my caregiving was very public. I believe that God allowed a caregiving experience out of the view of others in an effort to expose the wrong motivations of my heart. I was unaware at the time that God was leading me into a season of humility – deep humility. It generated feelings that contradicted who I thought I was as a Christian. It made me reassess certain characteristics of Christ that I thought I possessed. It became painfully apparent that the only way I could possess these missing characteristics was to borrow them from Him until I had developed my own heart of true humility – a servant’s heart. As hard as my season of humbling was, it falls flat compared the season of humility Christ had to endure.

Christ’s season of humility, pain and suffering was stepping from the realm of Heaven expecting nothing for Him but everything for each of us. His heart of humility was rewarded in the highest form of blessing – sitting to the right of Yahweh for eternity – the Creator of all things. No humility will ever be experienced in a greater level than the humility of Jesus, as He was ridiculed and left for dead for our sake. No blessing will ever top the one He so deservingly received. This was the greatest Rags To Riches story ever told in the spiritual realm. The beauty of this version is that we have our own chapter and through the belief and fellowship with Christ we have the same guaranteed legacy for our everlasting richness with Him.

The Lord knew I needed some humbling and used my passion through which to humble me. His motivation was one of love, and His desire for my heart to be more surrendered to Him. His motivation was never for the sake of hurting or humiliating me. ‘Nothing prepares us for enormous blessing and impact like a season of humbling…Jesus chose to humble Himself, God, therefore, chose to exalt Him to the highest place. Be encouraged that humbling seasons are for our ultimate benefit, though they are painful and, well, humbling.

If God has you in the place of a servant girl – or even beneath one – humble yourself under His mighty hand. In due time, He will lift you up.’ Ruth – Loss, Love and Legacy, p. 72-73 based on James 4:10.