Toy Stories: Barbie — Sacrificial vs. Self-Serving - Monday
Today’s Verse
Ruth 1:1-3
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. (ESV)
When I was just starting out in college, I had a group of friends from work who decided to run a Tough Mudder. At work, we basically spent all day loading blocks, mulch, and gravel into cars, and in our time outside of work, we ate and worked out, so I brushed off any concerns and pictured a “run” with a bunch of physical obstacles that would be a cool test of athleticism. Days and weeks passed with zero preparation or training on my part, and before I knew it, we arrived on the tail end of a week of rain in a big field and woods in Maysville, Kentucky.
Kind of like Ruth in the first chapter, I was led to a hostile land by trusted men, and I was vulnerable. This was not an obstacle course with some running mixed in. This was an 11-mile run with a handful of obstacles mixed in. Promises not to go too fast and to stick together were forsaken, my lack of preparation set in, and I basically did the whole thing alone, slowly. The entire trail was slick as ice from the rain and covered in rocks and holes. People more prepared than I was were being hauled away in ATVs left and right, battered and bleeding. I genuinely think some folks walked away with injuries that changed the rest of their lives. It was wild.
The opening chapter of Ruth is jam-packed with what feels like background information, but when you slow down and actually sit in it, you see something sobering: one man made a decision that looked practical. The fields in Bethlehem were empty. Moab had food. It felt logical. But the place that seemed easier came with a spiritual cost he never considered. And that decision didn’t just affect him; it impacted generations after him. We see that Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah didn’t choose this. They just found themselves trying to survive in the aftermath.
To get really practical, following Jesus through a biblical worldview means you and I are going to find ourselves in “hostile lands.” Sometimes we’re there because of other people’s choices. Sometimes we’re there because of our own. And often, we’re carrying responsibilities we never dreamed we’d have: emotional, relational, financial, spiritual. Like Ruth, the situation is real, the struggle is heavy, and it doesn’t feel fair.
But the opening chapter reminds us of something important: Even when you find yourself in a place you never wanted to be, God is not absent. Your story is not over. And your current “land” is not your final destination. The story of Ruth teaches us that God is already at work in the very place that feels impossible.
The question we need to ask ourselves is: will I keep running, or will I pause long enough to recognize that God is still here with me?
APPLICATION
Take a moment this week to identify the “hostile land” you might be standing in: the responsibility, circumstance, or season you never asked for. Instead of rushing to escape it, ask God to show you how He’s already present there. The first step isn’t leaving, it’s recognizing He hasn’t left you.
PRAYER
God, help me not to panic or run when life feels heavy or unfamiliar. Teach me to trust You right where I am, even when I don’t fully understand how You’re working. Give me steadiness, clarity, and a heart that stays close to You.
