Ruth 1:16-17
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

Ruth was faithful.  She had been the daughter-in-law of Naomi for 10 years, part of this family.  They must have been worshiping God all that time and introduced her to the God of Israel.  And now at this pivotal moment in her life, Ruth will abandon neither Naomi nor this God she has come to know.  She was completely dedicated.  This wasn’t a short-term decision to get her through a couple hard years, but it was a lifetime commitment to Naomi and her people and her God.

Ruth was willing to make a hard choice and leave the only home she’d ever known to go with Naomi to a strange land among strange people.  Surely she faced a difficult and uncertain future.  Two widows would be poor and left to fend for themselves, so she would have to be strong and resourceful.  She would have to be a survivor.  She would have to have faith.

Are we willing to make those kinds of hard choices in our lives?  So many times it seems like we want to take the easy way out, the path of least resistance, the one that will hurt us the least.  So many difficult things happen to us that are out of our control, like Ruth losing her husband, so when we have a choice, we may be tempted to choose something easy even if it is not the best thing to do, the God-honoring thing to do.  Sometimes we just want to give ourselves a break and spare ourselves a trial.  But if we are willing to step up in those moments and make that right choice, God will honor that in our lives.

So, will we be like Ruth?  Will we choose to be faithful to God and to those we love?  Are we willing to make those kinds of choices that take us somewhere uncertain, that may lead to something challenging, that require a sacrifice?  Are we willing to make a lifetime commitment to following God wherever it may lead us, whatever it may cost us, no matter how difficult it may be?  If we’re facing a pivotal decision of our own just now, let’s not hesitate to take the path that leads us closer to the Lord.  Let’s place our complete trust in Him and move forward by His grace into all that He has waiting for us.