Possibilities and Hope

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. (Ruth 1:1-7 ESV). The English poet Alexander Pope wrote, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest.” But where does man turn when hope dries up? The director of a medical clinic told of a terminally ill young man who came in for his usual treatment. A new doctor who was on duty said to him casually and cruelly, “You know, don’t you, that you won’t live out the year?” As the young man left, he stopped by the director’s desk and wept. “That man took away my hope,” he blurted out. “I guess he did,” replied the director. “Maybe it’s time to find a new one.” Commenting on this incident, Lewis Smedes wrote, “Is there a hope when hope is taken away? Is there hope when the situation is hopeless? That question leads us to Christian hope, for in the Bible, hope is no longer a passion for the possible. It becomes a passion for the promise.” The book of Ruth in the Old Testament of the Bible tells the story of a young lady who lost her husband, her brother-in-law, and her father-in law. Was there the possibility of a better life for Ruth? Could her sorrowing mother-in-law, Naomi, also find a new beginning? These ladies traveled back to Bethlehem, their hometown. Being poor, Ruth picked grain left by reapers in the harvest field. The Bible says Ruth happened into the field of a relative of Naomi by the name of Boaz. As the story unfolds, Boaz helps Ruth and Naomi with food. Boaz also takes the legal steps necessary to return the family farm to Naomi. In the process, he and Ruth are married. This is a charming story of possibilities, hope, love, and new beginnings. But these two women, who lost everything, would never have experienced a new start in life by sitting around and sulking. The same is true with you and me. We can bemoan our poverty, ill health, or lack of education. And we can wallow in self-pity. Or we can place ourselves in the position where the unexpected can happen. As this is true on a physical plane, it is true on the spiritual level. When we place ourselves under the promise of God found in the Scripture, we may now see and experience the possibilities that hope brings. Perhaps it is time for you to return to Judah!