Summer Study

In my summer women's Bible study right now we are studying the book of Ruth. I am so enjoying this Bible study. I haven't been in a Bible study that actually studies the Bible since probably early high school. This isn't to disregard or diminish the importance of my small group who Kirk and I have been meeting with for the last 3 years. I love my small group. We study different books or videos and have questions, discussion and just plain old christian fellowship, which is just as equally important in my mind. But there is something really deep that encourages my faith more than anything and that is just plain being in the Word of God.
This study is in in-depth look at the Book of Ruth; the woman she was, the unconditional love and obedience that she followed with her mother-in-law Naomi and ultimately God, and the love story that develops between herself and Boaz.

I have really been learning how incredibly faithful God is to those who blindly follow him even when it doesn't make sense and doesn't go along with what the world thinks is "normal".
This is tough for me because people's acceptance of me is really important. Too important, actually. I've always struggled with judging others and on the flip side, I get extremely insecure about others judging me. This study is really making me realize that I have absolutely no right to judge others. Everyone will be answering to the same God I will someday, and who do I think I am to judge someone else, anyway??!! I also am realizing that even if others judge me, it's okay and I have to follow and trust the Lord no matter what anyone else thinks of me.

I get nervous sometimes around different groups of friends because I feel if I talk about my faith too much, they might think I'm a "religious fanatic" or something, and I don't want to lose friendships because of my faith. This is where my lack of trust in the Lord comes in. Obviously I am not trusting that God has a perfect plan and if I just live my life and love him, things will work out according to his purpose. If I lose a few friends or freak a few people out along the way, so be it. No one said being a Christian in this world would be easy. Ruth was an alien in foreign land, lower than the servants, but because she trusted God blindly, wasn't afraid to follow him, she was blessed beyond measure and left a legacy we should all strive to follow.

Another thing I need to work on is gossip. I love good gossip. Who doesn't? Hearing juicy tidbits about someone else's life make mine seem a little more normal and makes me feel better about myself. This is such a trap straight from the devil himself. My gossip stems from my insecurity in Christ. I am always slapped in the face, though, when I find out someone has been gossiping about me. It is so painful to know people are talking about the juicy tidbits of my broken life that it's a good reminder that I need to keep my mouth shut! We are given one mouth and two ears for a reason! Ruth seemed to be such a great example of a godly woman and I really strive to follow in her legacy.

That's all for tonight. I can't wait to meet with the ladies tomorrow night for some in-depth discussion of Ruth! Goodnight!