Toy Stories: Barbie — Sacrificial vs. Self-Serving - Wednesday
Today’s Verse
Ruth 2:11–12
But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (ESV)
Today, we fast-forward in the story and meet Boaz, who watches Ruth work the fields with humility and grit, gathering what others discarded just to survive. Ruth didn’t ask for rescue. She didn’t posture or perform. She simply showed up and worked faithfully and selflessly in the land she never asked to be in. And we learn that Boaz sees that and responds with protection, provision, and dignity. He doesn’t just feed her. He honors her and shelters her.
I’ve learned that often, this is how God shelters us well.
It reminds me of Genesis, when Adam and Eve realized their shame after the fall. They tried to cover themselves with leaves, which were flimsy and temporary. But God stepped in and clothed them Himself. Not because they had earned it. Not because they had handled their situation well. But because He is merciful even in our wandering.
Ruth and Naomi were living in the aftermath of loss, just like Adam and Eve were living in the aftermath of sin. And in both stories, God’s role and response are the same: He covers what we can’t, He protects what we can’t defend, He provides what we can’t produce on our own.
God’s refuge for us sometimes it’s a friend who checks in, sometimes it’s provision you didn’t expect, and sometimes it’s simply making it through the day. But the takeaway in it all is pretty clear: you’re not meant to pretend to be strong enough not to need refuge. Strength is knowing where to take refuge.
APPLICATION
Pay attention this week to the ways God may already be giving you his refuge. Maybe it’s through people, conversations, provision, or rest. Keep an eye out for the small things.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for seeing me when I feel small or overwhelmed. Help me to stop trying to hold everything together on my own. Show me the quiet ways You are protecting and providing for me, and surround me with people who reflect You. Teach me to trust that Your refuge is more than enough.
