People sometimes ask who your favorite person is in the Bible, or who you’d like to meet. There are many who are fascinating, but there is one I’d especially like to meet whose name isn’t even recorded.
In the book of Ruth, chapter 2, Ruth beings to glean in the fields of Boaz. He is very kind to her, offering her protection in his fields. She asks him how she had found favor with him.
11 And he answered her: All hath been told me, that thou hast done to thy mother in law after the death of thy husband: and how thou hast left thy parents, and the land wherein thou wast born, and art come to a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
I love this! I have lived in small towns most of my life. Gossip can be ruthless (no pun intended … but I kind of like it there now that I see it). Here, Ruth was obviously a foreigner. She’d accompanied Naomi, who the people once knew as a wife and mother … only now her husband and sons are dead. Tell me that isn’t rumor-worthy filled with juicy conjecture?! I’m sure people could have come up with some pretty wild speculation.
But someone … we don’t know who, or what this person’s name was … spoke very kindly about Ruth to Boaz. No wild tales, no gossip nor malignment; no speculation. This person simply relayed what had happened. This person didn’t know Boaz would ever meet Ruth; didn’t know that his/her words would have much impact one way or another … he/she maybe forgot even mentioning it.
But words do have power …. if we hear something the slightest bit negative OR positive about someone before we meet them – even if we are determined to make up our own mind – there is a natural inclination to already think well of someone, or to be cautious. It’s human nature.
James 3:10 tells us that from the same mouth come blessing and cursing. We don’t always realize we are blessing or cursing someone … we have no idea what affect our words have on others. The Holy Spirit gave me this lesson in Ruth about 10 years ago and I’ve sure taken it to heart; I try to be extra careful about gossip; I try to speak well of others because I do not want to be part of cursing someone either intentionally or unintentionally.
LORD, guard my mouth, my heart, my mind. Help me to be Your hands and feet; use me to be a blessing.
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