“She told her everything”

She (Ruth) came to her mother-in-law, who said, ‘How did things go with you, my daughter?’ Then she told her everything the man had done for her.”

Ruth 3:16

As I was flipping through the pages of the Bible the other day, I happened to glance upon this particular verse and it immediately etched in my mind, and gave me a lot of thoughts the following days.

I do not plan to relate the story of Naomi, Ruth and Orpah again. As Naomi and Ruth were struggling, they ended up at the fields of Boaz. Following the instructions of her mother-in-law, Ruth went into the threshing floor of Boaz and spent the night there. The next morning, she came to Naomi and “told her everything.”

There are lots of things to learn from this particular action of Ruth. I wonder how many families have suffered because of secrets between members. Many times, daughters-in-law do not see eye to eye that leads to more gaps between them. This is mostly because they do not share. Problems arise not only between daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law, but also between all members. Families drift apart when they do not share.

But Ruth did. She told her mother-in-law everything. She went on to receive more blessings.

Taking this to another level, the church also needs to learn from Ruth too. Churches decline when members do not share their views and spend times together. Likewise, our personal relationship with God suffers when we refuse to open our hearts to Him.

How many of us have had our relationships with God severed because we do not bring everything to the LORD?

Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer