“Lost in the Weeds” Devotional #28

 

            For almost three weeks it was as though I was “lost in the weeds.”  In other words I was so busy that I couldn’t see how I’d get it all done.  My daughter volunteered to be a part of a kid’s mission team from our church.  This team worked hard for 4 months preparing for this week long trip.  Led by the Lord, my husband and I volunteered to be the cooks for this team.  As with any trip there’s the preparation time then the away time and then the recovery time.  On top of that I got sick two days after getting back home!

I had planned all of the meals and planned on how much of everything needed to be bought.  We were 48 in total.  We also cooked two special lunches for both a ladies group and a men’s group that meets at the Center where the team worked.  I know that I will never forget the lunch that we cooked for 105 people! 

I did take my laptop, my notes, my Bible and toted it back and forth from the hotel to the kitchen and then back to the hotel every day in hopes that I could take a break somehow and write.  The days were long and all I craved was a warm shower and a bed to sleep in.  I so wanted to write too but sometimes the best thing to do when lost in the weeds is to lighten the load.  With the Lord’s leading I decided to put all writing on hold. 

            How about you my dear friend?  Have you found yourself “lost in the weeds?”  Are you in a season of life that is so overwhelming that you can’t see the light on the other side?  Don’t worry my friend; there is an end to all seasons.  Just when one season ends the next one begins just like autumn runs into winter then from winter to spring and then summer.  That is how the “seasons” of our lives are.  Some seasons are pretty quick, like the past three weeks for me.  Other seasons last for years.  But no matter what every season ends and a new one begins.

            One of my favorite books of the Bible is Ruth.  There was an Israelite family from Bethlehem, Judah who moved to Moab because of a famine in their land.  Ten years later Naomi, the matriarch of the family was a widow and both of her sons had died too. She had two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.  Naomi heard that the Lord had come to the aid of his people and the famine in Judah was now over with.  She decided to return home.  She told her two daughters-in-law that since she was going back home they should do the same.  Orpah agreed but not Ruth.  Ruth didn’t want to go back to her parents and to the life she had known before.  She convinced Naomi to let her stay with her.  Ruth 1:16-17, “But Ruth said, “Do not beg me to leave you or turn away from following you. I will go where you go.  I will live where you live. Your people will be my people. And your God will be my God.  I will die where you die, and there I will be buried. So may the Lord do the same to me, and worse, if anything but death takes me from you.”  (NLV) 

            Now Ruth had gone from a season of singleness to a season of married-ness followed by a season of widow-ness in a new land with her mother-in-law.  It was during this season of her life that she met Boaz.  He took one look at her and that was it!  She ended up marrying Boaz who became her kinsman-redeemer (which means that in Israelite law the nearest relative to the spouse could marry the widow so that she could be cared for and the family name be continued).  The season of widow-ness ended and a second chance with love started along with a season of married-ness and then mother-ness too.

            I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to serve these children and the adults from this team and the people from the center.  It was nice to see God’s love in action with all of the wonderful volunteers and staff that work tirelessly at the Savannah Baptist Center in Georgia.  All of the work was well worth it.  Ruth worked hard for her love for Naomi and it was through her hard work and loyalty to Naomi that she won Boaz’s heart.  One of the things we can learn from Ruth is consistency.  Her loyalty to God and to Naomi never wavered.  Not only was this apparent to Boaz and to Naomi, her testimony was crystal clear to everyone that lived around them.  Ruth 4:14-15, “The town women said to Naomi, “Blessed be God! He didn’t leave you without family to carry on your life. May this baby grow up to be famous in Israel! He’ll make you young again! He’ll take care of you in old age. And this daughter-in-law who has brought him into the world and loves you so much, why, she’s worth more to you than seven sons!” (MSG)  Ruth was King David’s great-grandmother and part of Jesus’ lineage!  Yes indeed, her son’s descendant, Jesus, was and still is famous!  

 

Thank you for reading this devotional.  My dear friend, I appreciate you and am praying for you.  Please continue to pass this blog on to others.  Thanks and God bless you! 

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com