I stood in the back of the church near the pastor as we greeted those who were coming in to hear me speak. One came in saying, “I’m still struggling with unforgiveness, Pastor. I just can’t get over what happened.” And then another shared details of her story, “It’s not fair what we experienced as my sister and I grew up. She was teased so relentlessly.” I was thankful for their honesty, but couldn’t help but feel sorry for how they were holding on to hurt from years ago. It reminded me of Namoi in the book of Ruth, who had also experienced huge disappointments in life. Her husband and her two sons had passed away when they lived far from their home. She returned to Bethlehem with much less than she had when she left.
So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
Naomi said she was empty, but was she truly? No. She had Ruth. And with Ruth, she would have everything she needed.
Sometimes special-needs parents focus so much on what we’ve lost, we don’t realize all we have gained.
Source: Special Needs Parenting- Key Ministry
