Who’s Naomi, you ask? Oh, my goodness … stay tuned. She has quite the story.
I have been speaking to various women’s groups for several months about finding your calling at any age and maybe in places you never imagined.
I am absolutely giddy as I sit amongst a group of women listening to their chatter and, most of all, their laughter. Laughter indeed refreshes a weary soul. If the last three years have taught me anything, we need community. We need to find our tribe.
I talk about Naomi and her influence over Ruth in the Old Testament. During Lent, I read the book of Ruth and researched her, but my mind kept running into Naomi, her mother-in-law.
What about Naomi caused Ruth to leave her family and her gods to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem and to believe in Naomi’s God?
You may be familiar with the scripture in Ruth 1:15, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” NIV
Naomi was the first desperate housewife. Her husband, Elimelech, and her sons, Mahlon and Kilion, died, leaving her with two Moabite daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, and no way to support her or them in a foreign country.
Naomi packed up, and the three of them started on a journey back to her homeland of Bethlehem as the famine there was over. Maybe there would be family to help them in their desperation.
This would be about a 10-day journey and not an easy one as there were no Airbnb or Hyatt Hotels. Partway into their trip, she realized it would be best for her daughters-in-law to return to their Moab home. They would have a better chance of finding another husband back home.
After huddling in an ugly, out-loud cry moment, Ruth uttered those words in that scripture.
Naomi was transparent in her anger with God for taking away her husband and sons. She even wanted to change her name to Mara, meaning bitter. But … she still worshiped God and held onto her faith. Her faith as well as her transparency impacted the life of Ruth. If you follow the descendants after Ruth fell in love with Boaz and gave birth to Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who became the father of King David, you know that Jesus would eventually fall into the family line … all because of Naomi and her faith.
Janet speaks to the women at Orchard Park Presbyterian Church in Carmel. (Photo provided)
We never know how living out our faith will affect others. Being real in saying we get angry with God is okay. We find this in Naomi’s story. It causes us to communicate more with Him. We eventually realize His ways lead us to a place where we know Him even more and see the beauty in how He works things for good even in the midst of our pain.
Naomi was brave as well as loving towards her daughter-in-law. She even told Ruth to take a bath! Read the story. That bath led to a beautiful romance between Ruth and Boaz.
We can find our calling from the early years of our grownup life into the vintage years. We just need to show up and love well.
At 94, my mother still loved people well and showed them who God was in her life. Her life was not an easy one. She had a few “Listen, God, this isn’t fair” moments. But she had an amazing relationship with God. I’ve often said that my mother had a hotline to heaven.
My mother and Naomi had amazing stories of faith and how they lived it. They loved people into seeing who God could be in their life. They made a difference in the lives of those who knew them. It’s not in what you say but in how you show God’s love that gets the attention of others. And then … they will be open to hearing what you say.
Your calling can be found at any age. Your calling can be right where you are and in what you are doing. It is not just in the pulpit or on the mission field. It’s simply making a positive difference in the lives of others.
Even a desperate housewife named Naomi found her calling. Maybe you have a Ruth in your life who needs to be loved and shown kindness … but you might not tell her to take a bath.
Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). Visit janethartleonard.com.