From Bitterness to Blessing
 
Bitterness to blessing.  Does that sound like a cliché to you?  Just a hopeful platitude?  When the course of life leaves us angry, tired and bitter, it's awfully hard to see how any blessings can come of our circumstances.
 
You may be familiar with the Old Testament story of Ruth, the young Moabite woman who lost her husband but pledged her allegiance to her mother-in-law, Naomi.  Poor Naomi.  First her husband dies.  Then her two sons take up with and marry foreign women –Moabites.  Then both sons die, leaving Naomi with two young daughter-in-law widows.  It's hard to imagine more heartache and reason for bitterness.
 
Ruth surprised Naomi, however, by declaring her loyalty and allegiance to her with this famous and often quoted passage: "For wherever you go, I will go; and where you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.  Where you die, I will die·&Mac247; (Ruth 1:16).  Ruth was entreating Naomi to let her follow her to Bethlehem.  Naomi at first pushes her away, then finally seems resigned to Ruth accompanying her:  "When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she simply stopped speaking to her," Scripture tells us.  Not exactly an enthusiastic response.  Naomimight as well have shrugged and said, "Whatever"
 
I first read that and thought, well, Naomi's not very grateful for Ruth's sacrifice.  Until I thought about it and realized, when someone is in the depths of despair and bitterness, it's hard to appreciate even small gestures of kindness.  When one is drowning in sorrow and fearful about the future, like Naomi was, it's difficult to respond to anything.
 
Finally, as God continues to work in these women's lives, we see Naomi thawing.  We see the bitterness being gently replaced in her heart by the love God pours into their lives.  First, she realizes that in Ruth she is blessed with a loving daughter.  Then Boaz, a relative of Naomi, enters the scene.  He is a wealthy landowner and a godly man who takes pity on them at first.  Then he falls in love with Ruth while watching her glean grain from the fields to provide for Naomi.  He is impressed by her virtue, struck by her beauty, and arranges to fulfill his "duty" as the family kinsman redeemer by marrying her.
 
This is one of the most beautiful loves stories ever written, and I encourage you to read it through.  I've barely done it justice here.  But I want to leave you with this thought:
 
Naomi had watched these events unfold about her.  She was struck down with grief and loss and fear for her future.  She was beaten, resigned to misery,and yes, bitter.  Upon returning to Bethlehem she even told her old friends, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very
bitterly with me" (Mara means bitter; Ruth 1:20).
 
But God had given her someone who loved her, and who was an example to her of faithfulness and diligence.  First, when Ruth came home with grain gleaned from the fields of Boaz, Naomi's heart was touched enough to say, "Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness" God had provided her with a savior in the form of Boaz, the kinsman who took her into his household, and ultimately provided for her all the days of her life. The day that Ruth bore a son and laid him in Naomi's arms, the whole town rejoiced, crying, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day
without a near kinsman·may he be to you a restorer of life and nourisher of your old age".
 
It must have been with amazement that Naomi realized God had turned all her bitterness into blessings.  When she was too tired and hurt to have faith, the Lord took care of her and provided her with people who loved her and had faith for her.  He also provided her with a savior who redeemed her from seemingly impossible circumstances.
 
Isn't that how He is with us?  If only we can look up and see above ourcircumstances, we will know God's hand is upon our lives.  We will know that our Redeemer lives to save us and longs to turn all our bitterness into blessings.
 
Ray Bentley