Traveling Alone

“But Naomi said, ‘Return home, my daughters…No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has gone out against me!’ … ‘Look,’ said Naomi, ‘your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.’” Ruth 1:11, 13, 15

Poor Naomi! No doubt, over the past ten years with her daughters-in-law Naomi had shared the faithfulness of her God with them. They had grown up with many gods and were only introduced to the One and Living God through Naomi. It is most probable that on many occasions they had watched Naomi pray in tough times, asking for provision, deliverance, and for the protection of her men. As the Israelites were accustomed, this family would have participated in the annual feasts and festivals throughout the year for the sole worship and praise of Yahweh – the One and Only! But this was the part of her testimony she didn’t wish to share with her daughters-in-law. It was what I call ‘the ugly side of testimony.’ She tried to convince the girls to go back to their family and everything they had known growing up. She finally threw it out there – she was angry with God, and her desire was to neither praise nor glorify Him in her pain. The only traveling companion for which she wanted was bitterness and resentment. Stewing in her circumstances was where she wished to pull up anchor, allowing her emotions to navigate this part of her spiritual journey. Thankfully, she had been a good tutor to Ruth who developed a Godly love and commitment for the woman Naomi was in better times.

I do not judge her because bitterness towards God many times accompanies our grief. I facilitate Griefshare at our church and counsel others in grief, and have certainly met a few Naomi’s in this ministry. God frames this ministry as a safe setting for His children in pain to be honest about their feelings. God doesn’t take the pain of losing a loved one lightly. Our grieved heart grieves the heart of God. In Confessions of a Grieving Christian, Zig Ziglar writes, ‘God understands this need. God also desires for you to bring any doubts and fears to Him. He wants you to talk to Him about these emotions and read what He has to say about them in His Book. Until you face these emotions in God’s presence, you will not be able to reaffirm your faith completely and accept His grace.’ P. 73. Whether your grief stems from an actual physical death or another form of grief, God can handle your emotions - after all, our emotions were given to us from God.

The importance of accountability in our faith during painful times is paramount in our walk. We must allow those whom have a Godly love for us to walk with us in our pain. They will remind us of our past testimonies and commitment to God. They will help bring us back around to the one Anchor for which we can count on to secure our foundation. We cannot push our Ruth’s away in our pain but must allow the accountability of the LORD to work through other Christians when we can barely see our way.