Showing Emotion
Ruth 1:14 - At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her.
Sometimes people think that to show emotion is to show weakness or a loss of control. But we're human. God has given us feelings and emotion -- allowing yourself to show it does not necessarily mean you have lost control. Showing emotion is a healthy, God-pleasing response to an extraordinary event. We probably don't need to go farther than Jesus weeping for his friend Lazarus (John 11:35) to point out that even a sinless, perfect human has emotions and shows them. Jesus also became angry in the Temple (John 2:16), he was distressed and troubled (Mark 14:33), sorrowful (Mark 14:34), and felt the agony of his death (Matthew 27:50).
Ruth also shows her emotion in this case by clinging to Naomi. She just doesn't want to let go. Someone who hangs on through thick and thin is a true friend. Ruth's attachment to Naomi was something special. Naomi had become more than a mother-in-law to Ruth. She had become her mother. They shared the same joy and the same grief, and Ruth wanted to stay with her.
When a parent is the only contact a child has with God, and the child leaves home, will the child begin to attend church on his or her own? Will the child's understanding of God's word deepen and mature, or will it become an increasingly dusty memory? We do not know what happened to Orpah. What will happen to those closer to home? Showing others your faith by your own good example is a giant step in the right direction. Lovingly talking to them about it is another way to remind them, and ourselves, that faith comes by hearing.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: When has seeing or showing emotion helped you? When has it hindered you?
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Ask God to help you express emotion in God-pleasing ways.