Boaz: A True Prince Charming

The story of Ruth and Boaz is probably the most well-known "love story" in the Bible. And for good reason: it is a story of true love for God that drives the love we give and receive from those around us.  Boaz is probably the leading example of what girls should want in a man- he is the real deal, a man's man: he is attractive, responsible, respectful (and respected by others), kind, protective, a good provider, and overall swoon-worthy. 

Let's look at a few of his qualities:

Boaz is successful and respected among his community: Boaz was a relative of Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, and he was "a man of standing" (Ruth 2:1). Boaz owned land, and had people to work the land (2:3) and he treated those workers with kindness, blessing them for their work (2:4). He was a good, fair boss that people liked and respected. Boaz was a man of God, who honored Him through his lifestyle and actions.

Boaz is generous and giving: When he finds out that Ruth has come to his fields to get food, Boaz welcomes her because he wants her to be taken care of there. He looks out for her and has compassion on her as she is trying to provide for herself and Naomi: "So Boaz said to Ruth, 'My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay with my servant girls. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.'" (2:8-9) Not only does Boaz tell Ruth to take whatever she needs after his workers, but he is watching out for her safety as well- if she were to go in any other field she would be harassed in many ways; and he keeps her safe with him instead of letting her wander around in the middle of the night (3:13). He also tells his workers to leave some grain behind them for her to pick up, and not to scold or embarrass her (2:15-16). Boaz is looking out for Ruth because he knows about Ruth's character and effort to take care of her family, and he respects that (2:11-12). 

Boaz doesn't compromise his purity: When Ruth lays down with Boaz on the threshing floor, presenting herself and essentially offering herself to him (physically and symbolically in marriage), she was doing so because Naomi had told her to and she didn't really know better; she was asking Boaz to redeem their family name and land by marrying her (3:7,9). Knowing this, Boaz reacts so so compassionately: "'The Lord bless you, my daughter,' he replied...Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning'" (3:10-13). Not only does Boaz refuse to disrespect Ruth physically by taking advantage of her 'offer' of marriage, but he reacts with kindness, and allows her to stay with him through the night so that she is safe and not having to travel home through the empty, dangerous land in the middle of the night. Again he is watching out for her safety, and also protecting her from compromising herself physically. 

Boaz pursues Ruth with integrity: Though Boaz was a kinsman-redeemer for Ruth's family, there was a man more closely related to Ruth and Naomi with the same role who was first in line to receive their family and property (3:12). This man had "first dibs" in a sense to acquire Naomi's family land and marry Ruth if he wanted to, so Boaz did the honorable thing and asked this guy (we don't know his name) if he was going to take this role (4:3-4). The guy said yes until he found out that to do so meant he had to marry Ruth (4:5-6)- she was a foreigner and a  Moabite, and the people of Moab were a cursed people- this is why Boaz's treatment of her is so cool. So, because this guy refused the position, Boaz accepted it (4:9-10), and he did so fairly and with accountability from the town elders (4:1-4).  Not only did Boaz follow the culture's rules for marrying, giving another man the chance to receive what was rightfully his, but in doing so he honored the Lord and did not pursue Ruth with deceitful motives.

Through the story of Ruth, Boaz does everything to help, protect, and honor her. He knew that he might not get to marry her, but that didn't stop him from showing her God's love through his actions. 

Boaz didn't chase after Ruth. He pursued the Lord, and the Lord allowed him to marry Ruth. Boaz might have missed out if the first of kin had decided to fulfill his familial duty to Ruth and Naomi, but he was willing to risk that in order to honor God first. He went through the customs with integrity and maturity, and he succeeded in the end. Boaz was an all-around good guy, and I hope to find someone like him someday<3

These snippets of the stories of Joseph, Jacob, and Boaz have encouraged and reminded me that my standards and expectations for relationships are not insignificant or unimportant. All these men loved the Lord with their whole life, and that was reflected in their relationships. I can now know that these qualities are not something I made up in my head, but are what make a relationship awesome and honoring to the Lord.

Thanks for reading!

Jacob: Working for Love

In my last post I shared a piece of the story of Joseph, where Joseph fights to preserve his purity and honor the Lord in his position of increasing power.

Today I will cover a brief section of the story of Jacob, as he works to earn the position of Rachel's husband.

In Genesis 29: 15-28, we see a picture of a man truly smitten: Jacob is in love with Rachel. He works and works to earn the right to marry her, and is not disheartened when his relationship with her is delayed: "Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, 'I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.'...So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. Then Jacob said, 'Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her.'" Sadly, Rachel's father tricked Jacob by giving him Leah, the older daughter, because that was custom (vs.26). He then told Jacob that he could have Rachel after all, in exchange for another seven years of work: "And Jacob did so...he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years" (28, 30).

Again: what a guy.

Overall, Jacob worked 14 years to be allowed to marry Rachel. 14 years. He was clearly serious about pursuing her as a wife. Not only did Jacob know what he wanted, he never quit before reaching his end goal. He was willing to wait to marry Rachel, honoring her father's rules and guidelines before he pursued a relationship. He didn't let a delay in receiving Rachel cause him to give up his pursuit of her; he could have very easily given up because things got hard, but God was clearly making him wait, which made the end of 14 years even sweeter for him. Jacob clearly had a work ethic, and a good reputation (vs. 19)- Laban (Rachel's father) preferred to give his daughter to Jacob than to another man.

Ladies, wait for a man who actively pursues you with clear intentions and a pure heart. Wait for a guy who's willing to work for you and willing to wait for you. Look for a guy that wants to honor, protect, and respect you. But most important, wait for a guy who pursues the Lord before he pursues you. If a guy isn't right with God, if his lifestyle does not reflect his love for the Lord, he won't be able to truly honor you in a relationship because his priorities and motives will not be pure. Be willing to wait for a godly man- God will bless your desire to obey and honor Him with your relationships.

Tomorrow, I'll share about Boaz and his heart and desire for Ruth, but more importantly his heart and desire for God.

Joseph: Running from Sin

Many people believe that the Bible doesn't give any pointers or help when it comes to dating and relationships, aside from the command to stay away from dating non-believers (2 Corinthians 6:14). 

Until very recently, I was among that group, thinking, "Welp, I guess this is going to be a trial-and-error process... God I just need you to show me who You have waiting for me so that I don't mess everything up. Because I have no idea what I'm doing. And I'm not going to settle for anything or anyone who doesn't love You first and foremost, and has a strong relationship with You. Am I setting my standards too high?"

What are my standards? Well first, whoever I date needs to be a Christian*, and love God above all else. That is absolutely non-negotiable. I would prefer him to be a virgin*, but certain circumstances may allow that to vary (people make mistakes, and if God tells me to be with someone then honestly, this is a relatively minor issue in the scheme of things). No drugs, preferably no alcohol, no smoking, and ideally no criminal record. This all shouldn't be an issue if he is seeking to honor God with his life. I could give you a longer list, but the rest is pretty insignificant. 

I've come to the conclusion that my expectations, especially the most important ones (*), are perfectly sound. And I've realized that these expectations are not random, but are supported in several different Bible stories. The Bible certainly does give us direction on what to look for in a godly partner/spouse, and I'd like to share some examples that really touch my romantic heart. I'm going to begin by sharing about Joseph, and will also go over pieces of the stories of Jacob and Boaz in separate posts.

A few days ago, I was reading in Genesis, and found a piece of the story of Joseph that I'd never read before, and was proud to find (I believe my thoughts were along the lines of "GOOD for you"). In Genesis 39 we're told: "Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, 'Come to bed with me!' But he refused...And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, 'Come to bed with me!' But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house." 

Wow, what a guy. (Sounds like Tim Tebow, huh? ;) ) And what an encouragement- Joseph was in a very powerful position, in charge of his master's entire household, and overall his life was going pretty well at this point ("The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered"), but he didn't let any of it go to his head or to cause pride in his heart. Joseph didn't take advantage of his role in this household, but continued to honor the Lord. He resisted temptation even when it was presented over and over again. He ran away from sin. Joseph knew right and wrong, especially concerning sexual purity. He understood that it was something that can't be compromised. This issue is one that is so often dismissed in today's culture. Purity is seen as unimportant and immature. However the Bible tells us otherwise (more on this Here).  

Joseph provides an awesome example of a man after God's own heart; and a man with a desire to honor God above all else. Most of us know that he went on to become the King of Egypt. He was a successful, attractive man who didn't let life's circumstances get in the way of his relationship with the Lord.

Having expectations that line up with these stories are not unrealistic. Why? Because as you will notice, all these guys that live holy and honorable lives are very close to the Lord. God is their main man. Their relationship with God encourages them to obey His commands and look to serve Him through their actions. This is why they are desirable men: they reflect God's love and priorities with their lives.

I want a man who will fight like Joseph to preserve his purity to the point of physically running away from the temptation to compromise it. A man who understands that God will honor his effort to obey; who understands that saving himself protects me as well, and reveals his willingness to wait for me. 

Tomorrow, I will talk about the qualities found in Jacob when he was pursuing a marriage with Rachel- another example of a man worth waiting for. 

Share the Love: Morgan

I want to begin some new posts that I am going to call Share the Love. In these posts I am going to write about one person that I either know well or simply encountered during a day that really touched my heart or made my day better. I hope to share the love, the sweet things, and the laughter that makes every day a little brighter, and encourage you all to look for the blessings people bring us instead of the annoyances.

I want to share with you all about my sweet friend Morgan. I met Morgan this school year in one of the classes we shared together. I could tell on the very first day of class that she was the nicest person in the room; she didn't have to say one word for me to see Jesus shining in her. <3

Morgan always has a smile on her face, and she is always laughing. She doesn't put others down, or complain about the hard things. Her joy is so contagious, and I can honestly say that I love just being near her, because she makes my day brighter. She honestly cares about what I'm going through and is always excited to hear about new things in my life. Her kind heart impacts her actions, and makes others want to live the same way.

Like every person, Morgan has things in her life that she struggles with. But those pieces of her never get her down; those aspects of her life only cause her to try harder to make other people feel better.

Morgan is a true gem, and light for God, and I'm so thankful to know her. She has a genuine servants heart, and is always an encouragement for others.

Morgan, I hope you know how loved you are, not just by me, and not just by your friends and family, but by our wonderful Lord; you are His daughter, and you are a treasure.