She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
Ruth 1:20-21 (ESV)
Dear You,
I wonder how many Naomi are out there. How times, like Naomi, do we dwell on our pains and blame God for it? I wonder if there is any room left in our hearts for God to use. You see, I am Naomi. I have uttered these same exact words into the atmosphere as quickly as the breath that I breathe.
It’s no secret that when things are good, my joy and my excitement level in Christ is very high. I find that in the midst of my excitement, I am also capable of attributing my accomplishments to my human strengths and capabilities. My ‘thank you’ to God becomes very short and sometimes lacking the sincerity that a simple ‘thank you’ is supposed to have.
Regardless, God is my best friend and the One I speak to about everything. Ironically in times of trouble and pains, I have found myself asking God, why me? In the midst of my pains, I do not see anything to be grateful for. I lose sight of anything that is not worthy or mount to the thing that I have lost.
During this time, it becomes a fight between God and me. My life that I once thought was so sweet even honey cannot be compared became synonymous with bitterness or Mara like Naomi says. Funny truth is, everyone has a Naomi and a Mara. When life is bright, we call ourselves the Naomi in God’s grace and glory. When life loses its sweetness then we call ourselves Mara, the afflicted one.
However, one thing that I have learned not only from my own experience but also from reading the book of Ruth is that pain does not mean the end of life in Christ. In fact, during these times of pains and uncertainty means more time with Christ. When Naomi lost everything from her husband to her sons, she grieved and pitied herself. She was mad at God and her situation but she did not wallow in her pain for long. She immediately gathered her things and headed back home. She went back to her community. Despite her view of herself, her community did not see her afflictions rather they saw a woman. While Naomi failed to see her own image and the strength that lies within her, her community which now included Ruth saw her strength and her beauty.
As I read Noami’s reaction to her afflictions, I learned these three things from her.
- Communities are an important part of our fellowship. Always remember that there are people waiting for you whether you succeed at your goals or fail. There will always be home for you when you decide to return back home. If you still don’t believe me, then I want you to read Luke 15:11-32 . It is always acceptable to return to your father’s home like Noami did when she needed family, love, community, and healing. All of these and more can be found in the arms of your father, the Lord Christ our Savior
- Grieve is necessary. When Naomi left her home Bethlehem, she did not think she would have returned empty-handed. In fact, she left because of a famine to a place that has plenty. When she came back, Naomi did not suppress her bitterness, rather she expressed it. While you do not want to say or do anything that grieves the Holy Spirit, it is important to have honest conversation with God. An honest conversation can be in a form of prayers or just simply sharing with our community. Afterall, Romans 15:30 asks us to appeal on our brothers’ behalf; thus requesting your brethren to keep you in their prayers is nothing to be ashamed of .
- vulnerability is acceptable. I honestly believe that the world has conditioned us to not trust people with our insecurities even in our Christian communities. I am perfectly guilty of this because I am afraid to share my thoughts with any other person other than God but sometimes our words (testimony) can be healing for someone. Even if you don’t want to share your problems with other people, allow yourself to be vulnerable in your secret place with God. I truly believe that vulnerability breathes honesty and honest relationships breathes trust and trustworthiness sustains relationships for a long time. This is because when you trust means you are willing to show everything to whomever that being is.
It is indeed true that you deserve the best in life after all your Father is God. He is the mightiest of all mightiest. He is a loving and caring father that leaves 99 to find just one that was missing. He never leaves you alone to fight, He is always by your side. However in case you forget in the midst of your Mara days, I want to remember that you have a community waiting to welcome you home whether through either sharing the Word or just listening, God has prepared someone who is ready to listen and pray with you. IN your Mara days, remember that God never forsake you and that this problem with the past just like any storm but like Moses, He will hide you behind a rock so you can only feel His Presence not the storm. Don’t lose hope my love, your Naomi days are near and it is filled with nothing but love and encouragement. Keep believing and Praying for God is listening and watching over you!
Love from your sister in Christ,
Stella Oduro