An excerpt from Broken, Yet Unstoppable
By Joan E. Murray
Choices and Consequences
Choice started in the Garden of Eden. God gave man life and allowed him to choose his way. Our choices determine our outcome. As we review our lives, we can all attest to this. Humankind ultimately does not always make the right choices, keeping us in this vicious cycle of struggle and suffering. We have been in a life-and-death battle ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden. God, in His abundant grace, has helped us to find hope and healing even when our choices lead us to endure pain and hardships.
Naomi’s husband’s choices had taken them away from their homeland. Naomi lost almost everything and was devastated. Despite Naomi and her husband’s bad decisions, God turned it around and brought her a good outcome. She gained a daughter-in-law, Ruth, who stood by her through the darkest times in her life.
Even though their choice to go to Moab was not what God wanted for their lives, He still stepped in, helped her recover, and gave her a new life. Romans 8:28 says all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Naomi and her family loved God; they stepped away from His protection, and she suffered severe consequences.
Notice, even in this, God gave her a remnant in the Earth. He gave her a grandson who would remain by her side after the loss of her sons. As a result of Ruth’s marriage to Boaz, Naomi’s family lineage would not end. Ruth was the seed God used to bring her into a place of restoration.
Even when we make wrong choices, God still guides and helps us. He never deserts us or leaves us broken, hopeless, or devastated.
Naomi went home. She went back to where she had left God. When we face difficulties, we often lament that God has left us. Naomi lamented this. God did not leave Naomi; she left Him. She returned broken, but God was there, ready, and available to pick up the pieces of her life and to give her a new beginning.
Think about your life. Do you, at times, believe God has left you? If you answered yes, be assured He has not. Maybe you have wandered away from His protection because of your choices. It is easy for me and others to blame God when we struggle. It is easy to reason that since He is God, He should prevent these bad things from happening to us. Naomi felt precisely like this.
Unfortunately, we often blame the One who genuinely desires the best for us. Let me repeat it: God wants the very best life for you. He wants you to be filled with hope, joy, and peace. God wants to “feed your heart and life with His abundant supplies.” Numerous scriptures in the Bible affirm and support this truth. Let’s look at a great reminder in Matthew 11.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
Jesus tells you to “come to Him all who are weary.” Do you find your way to Jesus when weariness tries to overtake you? When you go to Him, He says He will give you rest. I need rest, how about you?
Jesus: Our Burden Bearer
The Bible does not tell us how Naomi’s husband and children died. Were they sick, or was it sudden? We also do not know what difficulties Ruth endured before and during the death of her husband. Deaths happened centuries ago, just like they do today. We mourn, cry, and grieve. Then, we pick up the pieces and learn to live with the losses. For many people, this is extremely hard. We don’t have any other choice but to TRUST God to walk with us during the hard seasons.
I want to remind you of a truth I shared with you earlier. There is Only one person we ultimately cannot live without— Jesus. Death separates you from your loved ones. In many cases, people will heal and move forward to live productive lives and, sometimes, create great purposes from their losses.
Grief can be profound. They miss their loved ones, but life must continue. Know this—if Jesus ever leaves you, you will be forever lost and without hope. You and I cannot live without Jesus.
In Ruth 1:13, you can hear Naomi’s weariness with her life as she tells her daughters-in-law to return to their family. She told them the Lord’s hand was turned against her. These were such hopeless words. She was tired of all her loads, weights, and burdens.
You might identify with her. You are at the end of your rope and feel like you are sinking deeper into despair. Naomi was in despair. Ruth was also in a battle with her losses, but she found enough strength within herself to help raise Naomi’s hope. Ruth gave Naomi a reason to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
As Naomi headed home, she had help on every side. She could only see Ruth, her helper, walking steadily beside her. She could not see that God was with her, close to her. He is always close to the brokenhearted. He was ready, willing, and available to give her a new, brighter future.
In Matthew 11:28-30, Matthew talks to us about being overloaded and overburdened. He tells us Jesus wants us to come and unburden ourselves to Him. The enemy has worn us out with all the cares of our lives and even what we see unfolding in the world. Jesus invites all of us to come and release the cares to Him.
We are not built or equipped to carry these burdens. They are wearing us down. These burdens are too heavy and exhausting for us. Jesus wants you to cease, desist, and refrain from weariness. He says to take His yoke upon you, for His yoke is easy, and His burdens are light. Be deliberate about accepting this offer of freedom. You must invite Him to be the burden-bearer.
The word ‘yoke’ in Greek is Zugos. This word describes a wooden yoke that joins two animals together to combine their strength and pull the load together because it is too difficult for one by them self. Yoking the animals together makes the team inseparable. The team is stronger together than they are apart. The animals must pull together and head in the same direction. Going in opposite directions would not get them to the desired destination.
You are stronger when yoked with Jesus than you are by yourself. You must decide to go in the direction He is leading you. Remember, He knows the plans He has for you. They are plans to bless you and not to harm you. To give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). He knows what He is doing. Therefore, you can trust Him. He wants you to make a predetermination and a deliberate decision to yoke yourself to Him so He can carry your load and pull you along until you get to your future and the blessings He has in store for you.
When you are joined with Him, you are unbeatable. You become a conqueror. You gain the victory. You cannot fail, nor will you lose your way in the struggles against weariness. Jesus makes your burden lighter and your load easier to carry.
Ruth and Naomi: Yoked Together
This example speaks to what happened with Naomi and Ruth. Ruth yoked herself to Naomi so she was not carrying her load alone and vice versa. As she journeyed home, Naomi discovered that with Ruth by her side, her burdens and steps became lighter because she had the support to pull her through each difficult day. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says:
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
What a powerful scripture. God has given us the solution for our victory. Yoke yourself to Him. Stay connected no matter what you are facing. You have help on every side because Jesus is right beside you.
