Nothing
stays the same. Life is many things, but one thing it isn’t is static. I can
only speak for myself, but I know that just as I’m feeling comfortable and
sure, something happens, and I find myself knocked off course. As we all must
do, I find my strength and pick myself back up. As women, we find ourselves knocked
off course more than men, namely because it’s our tendency to care for and
nurture those we love. If you want to be an inspired woman, you need to seek
out the women who inspire you. And with all that is going on in the world
around us, I can think of no better place to look for an inspiring woman than
the Bible.
I have
always believed that inspiring women inspire other women – to do their best, to
be their best and to help others do the same. If you feel despaired with the
world around you, you need only pick up your Bible to find examples of women
who were courageous, selfless and of unwavering faith. Whenever I am faced with
something that seems unsurmountable, that stirs up fear, I turn to a woman in
the Bible that continues to inspire me each time I read her story. Ruth.
Ruth
suffers a tremendous loss with the death of her husband, Kilion. Her
mother-in-law Naomi, in turn, suffers the unspeakable loss of not only her son
Kilion, but her other son Mahlon, and her husband Elimelech. Though she urges both
her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, to go back to their parents’ homes, Ruth will
not leave Naomi alone. Together Ruth and Naomi journey to her homeland of
Judah. Ruth is a moving example of a selfless woman who remains devoted to
family. Despite Naomi’s bitterness, going so far as to call herself Mara (Hebrew
for bitter), Ruth stays by her mother-in-law’s side in Judah, working in the
fields so the two women will have something to eat.
I have
read the Book of Ruth countless times. Each time I pull strength from these two
women who carry on in the face of adversity and loss. The last time I had read
it, I had been struggling with my writing career, unsure of which way to go
next. It had been several months since the release of my last book, and I wasn’t
feeling inspired to write anything. Until I got a message from a friend and
fellow author. Immediately I felt drawn to this author’s proposal to join her
and two other authors in a collaboration of four stories based on four women of
the Bible. The idea of crafting a contemporary story based on a woman of my
choosing sparked my interest. I knew within minutes I would say yes to her
proposal. And even faster than that, I knew I would write a story based on the
story of another woman I had come to love and admire, Ruth.
In my
story from the collection, Faithful Women: Legacies of Grace, Ruth Baker is
reeling from multiple losses. She has lost her beloved husband, her job and her
home. With her six-year-old daughter Mara, she is unsure of what the future holds.
When her grandmother Eleanora asks for her help as she begins the transition
from her long-time home to an assisted living facility, Ruth knows she must
pull up stakes and take her child to Pebble Shores, her grandmother’s seaside
hometown.
As many women
have experienced, Ruth is at crossroads in life, unsure of the future.
Unwavering in her faith, she never stops praying each day, patiently waiting
for God to answer her in His time. That’s something I know I have struggled
with, accepting an answer that may not be on my desired timetable. As she
travels down memory lane during her visit, trying to accept the sale of her
grandmother’s precious house, her heart begins to open. And with an open heart
comes the possibility for another chance for love and a whole new beginning,
for Ruth, Mara and her grandmother.
It is my
hope that when you read Ruth’s Garden, as well as the three other inspiring stories
from gifted authors Belle Calhoune, Leah Atwood and Cate Nolan, you will draw
strength from Ruth’s struggle for your own struggles. And in the future, when
you find yourself feeling faint of heart, may you draw strength from the women
of the Bible who continue to inspire us today. I’ll leave you with one of the
verses I run through my mind during trying times:
But
they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint.
– Isaiah 40:31 KJ
Ruth's Garden
Ruth: Ruth Baker has lost her husband. Unsure of what the future holds, she clings to her faith and her six-year-old daughter, Mara, when she travels to her grandmother’s beachside home in Pebble Shores.
Eli Hamill has felt the pull to put down roots. After years of buying and selling houses, he’s doing something he’s never done before – living temporarily in the beachside house he bought from an elderly widow. The last thing he’s looking for is an instant family.
Can an old house filled with loving memories and a sweet little girl show two lonely people what the future can hold?
Eli Hamill has felt the pull to put down roots. After years of buying and selling houses, he’s doing something he’s never done before – living temporarily in the beachside house he bought from an elderly widow. The last thing he’s looking for is an instant family.
Can an old house filled with loving memories and a sweet little girl show two lonely people what the future can hold?
Christina Lorenzen is an Amazon bestselling author of
sweet and inspirational small-town romance. She is the author of ten books, her
most recent book, The Christmas Coin, released September 2018. She is busy
working on her next small-town romance. When she isn’t writing or reading, she
can be found walking her dog, talking to her herd of cats and spending time
with her grown children and husband.
To find
out about Christina’s upcoming release, visit her website at
http://christinalorenzen.com. You can subscribe to her quarterly newsletter
through her website and automatically be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift card
each month, just for being a subscriber.
