The Story of Ruth: God's Perfect Timing

Have you ever missed the bus, taken a wrong turn or had a flight cancelled?  Did you praise God for that event...hmmm...probably not.  This morning I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription. You see here at Ferrell Farms we don't live right in town, it's a little bit of a jaunt to get to the grocery store and the pharmacy.  So, when I go into town I am intentional with my errands. This morning I had 4 tasks; kids to daycare, Pharmacy, UPS and coffee.  When I arrived at the pharmacy the drive through window was still closed, 30 minutes after their opening time.  I called them as I sat there and the manager informed me they had a sub coming in, he wouldn't arrive for another hour.  Bummer.  Remember, jaunt and to do list. As I drove away I began to be frustrated, this was not part of the plan this morning. I need to get home, now I have to come back!  Then I had a sweet reminder of my study of the book of Ruth.  I was reminded of God's perfect timing and I smiled.

In Ruth chapter one we meet Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi after great tragedy has struck their family.  Three women were left to fend for themselves.  Orpah, Ruth's sister-in-law, has left the picture.  Ruth has insisted Naomi let her stay by her side, no matter what.  Chapter one closes with a very BIG detail that we as readers can easily gloss over:

"So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning."

God has brought these two women back just in time!  There were two harvest times, spring and fall. The women were returning during the spring barley harvest, which was a time of hope and plenty.  Bethlehem was a farming community and because it was the time of the harvest there was plenty of leftover grain in the fields.  This grain was left out for the poor of the community to collect (glean) which they then made into food.  Do you see how God is providing? Do you see here how his timing is so perfect!?  It get's better... (read Chapter 2 of Ruth)

In chapter two we meet a man, a good man name Boaz.  Ruth goes to glean in his field for her and Naomi.  She is such a hard worker she caught the eye of this great man.  Exhibiting admirable qualities in our lives is so important, we never know who is watching and who is taking notes.  Boaz saw these great qualities in our girl Ruth and he admired her from a far.  Because of the qualities of Ruth and because God is so good, Boaz found favor in her and began to give her a little extra throughout the remainder of the barley harvest.  Let's walk away from today with two great take homes:

1. God's timing is perfect and way better than ours!  Even though there was tragedy. Even though they had to leave Moab and journey into the unknown, God provided much more than these two ladies could have ever dreamed!  He continues to provide for them greatly, he remembers Ruth and finds favor with her.  You sweet girls are no different.  He remembers you.  Continue to seek him, follow hard after his ways and walk his path. There is blessing in that, I promise!

2. Good character and reputation go far.  Chapter one showed us Ruth was loyal. Chapter 2 showed us Ruth was hard working on top of being loving, kind, faithful and brave.  Ruth's life exhibited admirable qualities consistently and it was noticed.  It turned the head of a good man and played a part in how God moved and worked in her life.  Boaz is going to change Ruth's life and redeem her. The story gets pretty exciting!

Ruth's life was changed by God.  His timing was perfect, her qualities were more than admirable.  Let us all rejoice this week in God's perfect timing for our lives and thank him for always having our best interest in mind. His ways, not ours, are the very best!  I pray this week that each of us reflect on the qualities we are exhibiting and adjust accordingly.  Strangers, friends, boyfriends, husbands and our children are watching us to see what our character is.  Let it be said of us that we are loyal, hard working, loving, kind, faithful and brave....and don't forget FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY MADE in our good God's image!

Much Love,
Chrystan
PS- Chapter 3 gets good...more coming soon!

This Is Amazing Grace: Remembering the Journey

I dated a really bad guy once.  A really bad guy.  He was abusive in a way that I'm not sure you will understand if you haven't experienced it before.  He was controlling and emotionally abusive through his control of my life.  He made me feel teeny tiny and unworthy of him.  I changed who I was for him, I gave up my beliefs and pushed my family aside to be with him.  Through all the warnings and red flags I couldn't see the forest for the trees.  I try not to say I regret things in life, as God uses those things to mold and shape us and bring us somewhere beautiful, but it's the closest thing I have to regret. (If you are in an abusive relationship please seek help today!)

Today I am typing from my front porch at Ferrell Farms.  I am about to celebrate 5 years of marriage to Farmer Adam and I am blown away by where God has brought me.  My college years were rough, the world won me over in my 20's.  Cohen's birth and raising him as a single momma saved my life.  The years that followed were filled with extreme highs and lows.  Dating an abusive man took a toll on me but after that I began to find a personal journey in my walk with God.  It became less of something my parents brought me up to do and more about a need and desire.  I had an ache I was trying to heal with a lot of things, an ache that only God had the medicine for.  When I met Adam the first time, we were no where near ready for each other, so a year later God tried again and we have been together ever since.  In this time the Lord has worked in our lives in the most incredible ways.  He has blessed us with two more boys, kept us together fighting against the world for our marriage and most importantly he has drawn us each so closely to him that we have become one unit.  I sit on this porch saying there is no way I could have ever dreamed this big for my life, my God he is so BIG!  (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

I am reminded this morning of one of my favorite Bible stories. One that I fell in love with when I fell back in love with God.  The story of Ruth in the Bible is incredible.  It is a love story, but not exactly the kind of love story you would think of.  This story has a special place in my heart, because it was the first time I fell in love with the words of the Bible.

In honor of my love story meeting it's 5th year anniversary this month and to celebrate a new chapter coming in my life, we are going to do a 2 week study together of the book of Ruth.  I am not a theologian, I barely know how to spell that word.  However, I believe that God is calling me to go deeper with you and for you to step in closer to him through his words revealed through this blog. This will be a great journey together and I am excited to share my love of this book in the Bible.  So join in on the fun and let's discover together how God worked in one woman's life so greatly he put her name in the lineage of Jesus!  A lowly widow of the wrong kind of people group ended up in the lineage of Jesus, I mean how big is our God!

Can't wait friends!  You can join in by subscribing to my blog or following me on social media for more posts which will lead to a BIG announcement at the end!  Eeek so excited!

This week as you step into all the hard places look forward into the eyes of your Savior! Step in knowing that God's plan is so great, that you are FEARFULLY, BEAUTIFULLY and WONDERFULLY MADE in his image!

Much Love,
Chrystan