Tell Your Story

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story–

those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

those he gathered from the lands,

from east to west, from north and south.”  (Ps. 107:2-3 NIV)

The longer I live, love, read, explore, and dig deeper into the things that make my heart sing or cry, the more I realize the importance of our stories. Not just the individual, short stories of our lives, but the whole narrative, beginning with the very start of our existence.

So many different things go into the making of the person we turn out to be: the traumas in our own histories and those of our family members; how connected and attached we were to our parents; how our parents behaved and the kinds of decisions they made throughout our growing-up years; the friends we’ve had; whether or not God was part of our lives at a surface level or if we were able to make deep connection with him. These and so many more aspects of our lives settle into our hearts.

What settles pours out in our words, our actions, our inner dialogue, our decisions, and our responses to the world and the people around us. The Place We Find Ourselves podcast with Adam Young has been teaching me so much about myself and the potential reasons behind the way we function in the world. Adam and his guests have been giving me so much insight into my own heart, my (hi)story, and how those two things collide.

Ruth came to mind when I looked for a biblical example of a life-long story that weaves together many pieces, including heartbreak, trauma, healing, and then love and acceptance. However, as I was reading the story, I realized that while the title of the book holds Ruth’s name and Ruth did, in fact, have these elements in her story, Naomi’s story exemplifies these components as well. The Lord basically uses the same man to offer them wholeness, although he does so in different ways for each woman.

The story begins when Naomi moves to another country and then experiences losing her husband. Her sons marry, but then they die as well, leaving two daughters-in-law as Naomi’s only family in a country far from her original home of Judah. One of the daughters-in-law goes back to her family of origin, but the other refuses to leave Naomi. They go back to Judah, and along the way, Naomi says she should be called Mara from then on, which means bitter, and she even blames God for her bitterness, for taking away her husband and sons.

These sound like pretty normal feelings to me. The story condenses all this activity and all these feelings (which we must use our imaginations to make real) into just four short chapters. Yet imagine this was what you had lived through. It’s a lot.

After they arrive in Judah, Ruth goes out to find food and ends up in the fields of Boaz, who is a relative of Naomi. Coincidence?  I think not. Boaz invites Ruth to continue collecting grain there because he has heard how she faithfully stayed with Naomi. Naomi realizes Boaz is their kinsman redeemer, a family member who has a sort of responsibility to take care of them. Boaz can do so by buying a piece of land that was previously Naomi’s husband’s. Naomi sends Ruth back to Boaz to essentially ask him to marry her by purchasing the piece of land, thereby taking in herself and Naomi. Boaz responds that there is one other person who has the right to the land, but if he does not want it, Boaz will redeem the land and, therefore, the women.

Well, the other guy says no thanks, which ends up being perfect, because Boaz is a really nice guy. In the end, Boaz marries Ruth and they have a son called Obed, who becomes the father of Jesse, the father of David, the most famous king of Israel.  Naomi feels renewed, alive, and best of all, she feels joy again. Loving, kind people and babies have the unique ability to bring life back to her.

Naomi has a fantastic story to tell. Ruth does, too. Ruth trusted that the Lord would provide, and her faith lifted up her mother-in-law, whom she obviously dearly loves.

We have the whole version of Naomi’s and Ruth’s stories in the Bible, but our own stories are not over yet. I pray we can wait with anticipation and hope for what the Lord can bring about in our lives or how he will use us to bring joy and hope back into someone else’s.

Lord, help us to embrace our real, whole, fraught stories. Give us people who are safe to talk to and who will walk with us through healing. Let us feel the presence of the Holy Spirit who gives us courage even when we are afraid. Amen.

Scripture for Reflection

Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband–how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:11-12 NIV)

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. (Ps. 30:11-12 NIV)

Reach for More

We don’t often think back over our whole lives and how they have made us the people we are today. I am convinced this is a good practice for everyone. Look up some suggestions for how to plot out your life story and start working on it. You might have a lot to process, so don’t rush through it. Don’t forget to include both stress and trauma points as well as joy and positive growth areas. Once you are finished, praise the Lord for all the places you have seen him at work and ask him to show you where you need growth or healing. Then sit back and let him shine.

Carla Clemens enjoys a crazy, beautiful life with her military husband, four sons, and a daughter. A baby interrupts her homeschool days in the best ways, and she is always attempting to live with mindfulness of each moment. She hopes to look at the world and each person in it in light of our amazing Creator, and therefore, to see each moment presented as an opportunity to love and serve him more. Carla relishes time to ponder God’s Word and have quiet moments with him and her coffee. She loves doing life with other mamas and encouraging them to simply be who God has made them to be.

Photograph © Aaron Burden, used with permission