my favorite word of the week: autumnal.
though the original plan was for both 'brilliant janes' to be involved in the blogging process, i think i may start writing for my own reflection. this is officially my first personal blog entry ever. i will call myself Jane 2.
i spent a weekend with people from my church and listened to four teachings on the book of Ruth. the first lesson especially sticks in my mind and troubles my heart. or, should i say, God is stirring my heart because of the words i heard. naomi, a woman stricken with grief and loss after the death of her husband and two sons, is left with two daughters in law. in those times, i think that meant she was left with hardly anything and nobody to carry on her inheritance.
she says some poignant statements about her life, some brutally honest statements. yet, one thing pointed out was that she never said
she was bitter; but simply, her life was bitter. most people see her as a woman who has succumb to her own sadness and is calling others to pity her. the perspective i received of her this weekend, however, was quite different.
she was honest. she was bringing her complaints before God not because she wanted to deny Him, but because she knew that His promises were supposed to
mean something. God is supposed to be good; He is supposed to take care of us; He is supposed to never leave us. naomi's complaints and statements were grounded in her faith of God's character. she knew what He was supposed to be doing, what He is supposed to be like so she was simply expressing her confusion and sorrow over the way things were and how the two realities did not match up.
my coffee shop is closing. good night.
