Sunday Blessings

At a recent auction I purchased several boxes of very old books.  I hadn't planned on buying any books, but the auctioneer could hardly get a bid.  The thought of all those books just being thrown in the dumpster was too much, so I brought them home with me.

Oh what treasures! Jane Eyre, The Red Pony, a children's version of Pilgrim's Progress, a very large family Bible from 1854.......

But perhaps my favorite is A Farmer's Wife, The Story of Ruth.

This beautiful little book was published in 1906.

Are you familiar with the story of Ruth?  Even if not, you have maybe heard this popular verse:

{...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....}

It is a beautiful story; one I grew up hearing in Sunday School.  The true depth of the story, though, wasn't revealed to me until last summer.  My husband was unemployed and our future was uncertain.  I was struggling with my faith.  What did God have in store for our family?  One day, while reading some blogs, I came across this online Bible study.

I knew I needed to participate, so I purchased the book and signed up. From the very beginning of the study I could feel God working on me.  It was a comfort to be reminded that God was with us in our trials and that He would be with us when and where we moved. I learned so much from Ruth and her faith.

Jump ahead to this spring.  We'd been in our new location for several months and I was lonely and depressed.  One day a gal from church called to see if I would like to participate in a new women's Bible study.  They were planning on doing the same study I had done last summer - Ruth by Kelly Minter.  This time I was again reminded of Ruth's faith and her strength as she struggled in a foreign land.  My heart did some healing and I developed some wonderful friendships.  For many reasons, Ruth's story has a deeper meaning for me now. 

Well, I meant to make this a short explanation of why I was excited to find the old book.  I guess it didn't end up so short.  If you haven't read the story of Ruth I would encourage you to do so.  You can read it here. 

{The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!"  Ruth 2:12}