Sadly, many people don’t have a good relationship with their mother-in-law. If you have ever watched the show Everybody Loves Raymond, you know that Marie is basically the final boss of mother-in-laws, and Debra spends the entire show trying to survive her backhanded disses and intrusive behavior. I am blessed to have a great relationship with both of my in-laws, and there is a story in the Bible that shows us just how powerful that relationship can be.
The book of Ruth tells the story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. After Naomi lost her husband and both sons, she tried to convince Ruth to return to her own people and rebuild her life elsewhere (Ruth 1:11-12). Instead of leaving, Ruth chose to stay faithful. She told Naomi, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).
God ended up using Naomi to guide Ruth into the exact place where her future would change forever. Ruth went to glean in the fields, and the Bible says she “happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz” (Ruth 2:3). Boaz noticed Ruth’s character, her faithfulness, and her care for Naomi, and he showed her favor, protection, and provision (Ruth 2:8-12).
Boaz later becomes Ruth’s kinsman redeemer, restoring her future and giving her a new identity and legacy (Ruth 4:9-10). This is more than just a love story; it is a picture of our relationship with Jesus. Ruth is seen working in a field and simply trying to survive, but Boaz sees her, redeems her, and changes her life forever. Through Ruth and Boaz’s lineage comes King David, and eventually Jesus Himself (Ruth 4:17-22).
When life gets heavy and it feels like we are in an endless field full of work and problems, it is easy to fix our eyes on what we see in front of us and get discouraged. But 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Jesus sees us in the field of this world, rescues us, redeems us, gives us a purpose, and restores us into right relationship with God for eternity.
So today, if you feel like you are in the field of life right now, just trying to survive, take heart. Like Ruth, you may be standing in the very place that God is preparing to do the biggest miracle. So stay faithful, keep moving forward, and stay focused on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). What feels like endurance today will become tomorrow’s testimony.
The Bigger Picture: Sometimes life feels like a field of endless work, but God is always at work behind the scenes, redeeming, restoring, and writing our greatest story.
The Bigger Picture 