“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, NIV).

 A Story of Hope: Part 2 of 4

            Life comes at you fast. Naomi had no sooner taken her bridal dress to the seamstress when the terrible news came. Eli had died. The wedding ceremony was postponed. The festivities would be preempted by a funeral. Tears of joy now gave way to tears of sorrow.

            Ruby had won over her father-in-law’s affections. The outsider had found her way into Eli’s heart. Now Ruby’s heart was broken.

            It’s such a strange thing. Why do bad things happen to good people? All Eli wanted was what we all want for our families. A safe home to live in. A good job to make ends meet. An opportunity to pursue one’s dreams.

            Life isn’t fair. But that doesn’t mean that God is not good. Were it not for a crisis at home, Eli would not have left for a foreign land. Ruby and Mali would have never met. Blessing oftentimes is masked by loss.

            Who would have known that Ruby and her mother-in-law, Nomi, would become inseparable? One from was from the west side of the border, the other from the east. Two foreigners had become fast friends. Alls well that ends well. Not really.

            Ruby and Mali eventually married. So, too, did Mali’s brother. Sadly, both marriages ended, not in divorce, but by death. Tragedy in this instance struck twice as both of Nomi’s sons died.

            Alone for the first time in her life, Nomi decided to return to her ancestral home. She insisted that her daughters-in-law return to their families, as well. One did. Ruby refused to leave Nomi’s side.

            The trip back to the old country was fraught with danger. Those who are caught on the wrong side of the border can quickly find themselves in peril. Yet God often makes heroes from the least like of people.

            Enter Bazil. Bazil was an older, wealthy man. He also was an honorable human being. Bazil hired several workers who lived nearby to harvest his crops. He instructed his men to leave the edges of the field to be gleaned by the poor, the widows, and foreign migrants.

            Toward nightfall, Nomi sent Ruby into the fields to glean enough for the two women to eat. Nighttime is especially unsafe for anyone to venture outside alone. With the sun quickly setting over the western sky, Bazil insisted that Ruby take shelter in one of his storehouses. And just like that, the foreign girl who left home for a distant land found a friend.

            Doesn’t that sound like something God would do? Pairing the most unlikely of people together. A pauper finds respite in the residence of the prosperous. An outsider is given a reprieve by an insider. A down-and-outer is granted refuge by an up-and-comer.

            It sounds like a fairy tale. But it’s not. This story is anything but fictional. In fact, the real truth may just surprise you—in the next chapter.