Wherever You Will Go, I Will Go
Ruth’s story
Ruth stood by the well a little longer.
She breathed in the warm but inviting air around her and sighed ever so softly. In her reflection she saw the cloak her mother-in-law had made for her. She also saw the aging lines on her face and wondered why such things happened to her. She glanced at her own reflection remembering Kilion.
She was recalling his cheery laugh, and his love for his mother; his love for his people and culture and God even though he was far from them. She loved that man. She loved how he would listen to her carefully and take good care of her, giving her only the best.
Her favorite memory of him was…it came to her in a flash, but she pushed it away.
Not now. She thought to herself, I don’t need pain now.
She then started walking back from the well, and when she was half way home, found Orpah talking to one of her friends, near a potters market.
“Sister!” Ruth called, smiling. Orpah smiled back and waved her sister-in-law over. “Cetha, here was just telling me about another request by her father the potter, for me to paint his vase, I am honored, but this means I will be busy, so tell Naomi to forgive my absence,” Ruth nodded. The two women hugged and Ruth went on her way.
Orpha was a talented painter.
She was so talented she was often offered a great job, and she always took it. After all with both of them widowed along with their mother, there was no other way for them to eat. Ruth often felt burdened that Orpah was taking the role of “provider” for the three of them.
Ruth felt she wasn’t good at anything. She found herself praying every night when Naomi prayed to her God, Ruth found herself praying to the same God to grant her a role in this life. To grant her a talent a, specialty that she may support the ones she loved. Ruth was now back at their home. Naomi was sweeping the outside, her back was arching terribly. “Mother, I have come,” Ruth said. Naomi was pleased. She handed over the task to Ruth and took the heavy water jug. “Careful, mother, I will set it inside and then sweep for you,” Naomi nodded. Naomi looked at Ruth for a long time.
“Ruth,” Naomi said.
“Yes mother,”
“Go and find a man who is right for you, go and find the one,” Ruth was not surprised. Many times Naomi had requested her or Orpah to go find someone, and they always refused. Ruth did not even reply, she simply shook her head and set the jug down. She then walked outside and started sweeping. When Ruth turned around, she saw Naomi kneel and start praying.
Ruth closed her eyes for a moment in respect. While her eyes were closed her favorite memory came to her. It was the night of their wedding, when he took her hands and told her that he would never leave her, no matter what. “I have chosen you Ruth and you have accepted. I have chosen to care for you and for you to be the bearer of my child. In your eyes I can see truth and strength; I have chosen to embrace that. You are my wife; I will never forsake that or leave you,” Ruth’s eyes opened and saw Naomi looking at her from where she stood. “Yes, mother?” Ruth asked.
“My daughter, you are in tears,” Ruth stood straight, and slowly lifted her hands to her eyes, and they were damp, damp wet with tears.
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In the evening when the women were having their meal, Naomi started to cry. Both young women, looked at each other, and then sought to comfort their mother. When they saw it seemed there was nothing they could do Naomi spoke “Children, I need my land, and this is a decision I have thought about, and one that I long, I am to go back to the land of Judah, for that is where I shall have my peace,” The two young women looked at each other and at their mother. “We shall go with you mother,” Ruth said for the both of them. Orpah nodded in agreement. They were both sure they would not leave their mother for anything. Why, all this time, she treated them with love and care. She allowed them to be her real daughters and for that they were grateful. Naomi did not have the strength to argue. “We will set on our Journey tomorrow,” Naomi told them, and they agreed.
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“A new land! Ruth just imagine what it would be like? We would have to start all over again. Or maybe I should say, we would have the chance to start all over again,” Orpah was a talker. Ruth just smiled, as she rode alongside her sister for the Journey. They were women, and they all knew there was no way they would make it without transportation. So thankfully they had three donkeys left in their possession. They had been traveling for about a day, and had been enjoying it. Orpah had been their entertainment. “MY! Ruth would you look at that tent, it’s huge!” were her exclamations throughout. She was covered with excitement and worry, and so was Ruth. But neither knew what was going on in Naomi’s mind at all. They continued on for four more hours in the blazing heat when they all decided to take a break for water. They got down for the drink and Naomi looked like she was about to cry. Ruth was worried about her mother. Naomi, seemed so fragile after both her sons died. Ruth and Orpah had it bad since they had left everything for their husbands, but Naomi, suffered the most emotionally.
“Mother, stay strong, we are on our way there, we may still have a couple of days, but we can make it!” Naomi smiled at Ruth through her formed tears.
“Go back. Go home and live with your mothers. And may God treat you as Graciously as you have treated your deceased husbands and me; may God give each of you a new home and a new husband!” She said this with passion toward Ruth and Orpah talking to both of them. She Kissed Ruth and then Orpah; and Naomi embraced them both with memories threating to tear her apart. She clung to them and then pulled away. “No, we are going on with you to your people,” they told her in chorus.
They both loved too much. She was firm for the first time with them, almost shouting, “Go! Go back, my dear daughters. Why would you come with me? Do you suppose I still have sons in my womb who can become your future husbands? Go back, dear daughters - on your way, please! I'm too old to get a husband. Why, even if I said, 'There's still hope!' and this very night got a man and had sons, can you imagine being satisfied to wait until they were grown? Would you wait that long to get married again? No, dear daughters; this is a bitter pill for me to swallow - more bitter for me than for you. God has dealt me a hard blow." The women cried. They, all three of them held each other and sobbed.
Then Orpah, opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Nothing. She had fought her battle, her will was with her people. She loved Naomi, but could she sacrifice so much?
Orpah cried bitterly and kissed her mother. As she was kissing her mother she whispered “Goodbye, good Mother, I am grateful,” Then she started walking toward her donkey.
Ruth still had her arms wrapped tightly around her mother, even when Orpah’s donkey started to gallop.
This was her mother. This woman, treated her right, shared with her, her faith, kept her safe. And kept their best intrest in mind.
This was the mother of her first love, and now her own mother. Ruth sobbed uncontrollably, all the pain she had felt, all the sorrow came pouring out. She had never cried in such a way in her entire life. The dessert was blurry, was it day? Was it night? Ruth did not know, nor did she care. She just held on to the truth she knew. She just held on. "Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her."
Ruth looked into her mother’s eyes. She said the words that rolled off her heart, “Don't force me to leave you; don't make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I'll die, and may the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” Ruth was settled.
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