No five minute free-writes prompt for today. Let’s see what I pick to write about. 🙂
W
e were supposed to go see a friend yesterday, but she had a fever and I’m avoiding sick people while I’m on chemo, which will be forever.
That gave me a day to get started on the write31days project since I had done nothing up until then. It was nice to start creating graphics and thinking about future blog posts. And to think about how to track and follow all the cool blogs coming out of this. And it is fun to be challenged to remember how my blog works. I haven’t updated it since last year until driven to write again.
Ah, my topic for today is “hesed” love. Which auto correct despises, by the way. It much prefers “heed” which doesn’t mean the same thing. 🙂
We started a Bible study at church using Paul Miler’s book A Loving Life about the book of Ruth in the Bible. He pulls out the details of how “hesed” love is demonstrated throughout the book. Hesed is sacrificial love, with no expectation of anything in return. It is the best kind of love, and things work well when we demonstrate that kind of love. For example, when my husband leaves his trash all over the counter (because he is incapable of putting it in the trash), I can either berate him,resent him, or just throw away the trash and move on as if it isn’t a big deal. Because, really, it’s just trash on the counter.
(As always, this is not to encourage physically or emotionally abusive relationships. Run away and stay away from those!)
Where do we see this kind of love in the book of Ruth. There is Ruth’s initial plea that she will follow Naomi wherever she goes. And Naomi is speechless, not even a thank you at this point. Then when they return to Bethlehem, the women are all over Naomi but Ruth seems to get ignored, which she has no problem with. It isn’t about her, it’s about Naomi/Mara
Then Ruth gets up the next morning (or sometime soon after they arrived) and heads out to get food for them. She takes Naomi’s advice, but it’s assumed she has to be the one bringing home the bread (literally). Naomi’s advice is sound and Ruth finds a good field. Naomi is thrilled when she finds out who Ruth met. Naomi is slowly transformed by Ruth’s hesed love. She gets over her bitterness. Maybe she even realizes God is not against her, I read a poem I found in a cancer article the other day, the middle stanza seems to speak to Naomi’s position and my own these days.
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
Something to think about. And another form of “hesed” love. Blessings dear ones!
