A few weeks ago, I made mention of the fact that Ruth could have followed Naomi (her mother-in-law) to Bethlehem and chosen to do nothing but wallow in the house
Because, let’s face it, she had every excuse to- having lost her father and brother-in-law and become a widow herself. But she didn’t.
Instead of checking out of life, like Naomi did initially, Ruth decided that she would keep going and keep pushing forward for them both
Which, unless you missed my last 2 blog posts (here and here), you’ll know that Ruth’s decision to go work in the fields led to her marrying Boaz. birthing children and becoming one of Jesus' fore-mothers (Ruth 4:13-22; Matthew 1:1-16).
Which then begs the question: how do we as modern women keep showing up even when we don’t want to?
Especially when life happens, PMS happens or (from a business point of view) tech/staff issues happen- meaning that you don't always feel physically, mentally and/or emotionally able to put yourself out there and remain visible.
#1 Gratitude
As we’ve already discussed, Ruth didn’t seem to spend much time lamenting the past or or all that she had lost. I believe a huge factor in this is because she had an attitude of gratitude. 1st Thessalonians 5:18 says "in everything give thanks". This not only suggests that you always have something to be grateful for (no matter what), it's a tool. On a spiritual level, gratitude is warfare causing/manifesting natural (scientifically proven) benefits such as improving self-esteem; physical and mental health- all of which are needed to show up. My favourite way to practice gratitude is in prayer (through praise) or writing lists of things that I am grateful for (at least 10).
#2 Goals
Ruth’s goal, upon reaching Bethlehem, was to ensure that she and her mother-in-law survived. This is what gave her the drive to keep pushing forward for them both, despite the tragic circumstances that brought them there. Getting reacquainted with your goals will also refocus and motivate you. For long-term results, though, I recommend taking it a step further by also reflecting on the "why" (or impact you want to make) with them because that emotional pull will keep you going even when the going gets tough. My favourite way to do this is to look at the goals that I wrote down at the beginning of the year and follow Dr. Tracy Timberlake's guided meditation via her mindset mixtape.
#3 Grace
The deeper you delve into Ruth’s story is the more that you realise that God’s hand was in it and on her the whole time. It also shows us some important lessons about His grace for us. Namely, that we should ask to receive it but also that we should give ourselves some grace too. You may not be able to pull off everything that you would normally be able to if you were feeling 100%. Accept that, move on and simply aim to give as much as you can given whatever may be causing you to feel under the weather… trusting that, with God, your little will become much- just as it did with Ruth.
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