Who Are You, Pleasant Or Bitter?

In the book of Ruth, chapter 1, we see the story of Naomi. Her, her husband, and 2 sons, left Bethlehem Judah because there was a famine. They went to Moab to live. After being there a while, the husband died. Later the 2 sons married women from there. It doesn't say how long it was, but then both sons died. There Naomi was, with no one but her daughters-in-law.

Naomi hears that God has visited her homeland and the famine is over, so she decides to go back to Bethlehem Judah and tries to get the girls to stay. One stays, and one goes back with Naomi.

As they come into town, there is a stir among the people. The people of Bethlehem think they recognize Naomi and the women begin to call out to her, "Naomi, Naomi!"

But Naomi answers and says, "Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara!"
Let me say here, the name Naomi literally means "pleasant", and the name "Mara" means "bitter"!

What she is saying is, "Don't call me pleasant anymore, because I am not! Call me bitter, because now, that is what I am!" She goes on and tells them that she left her hometown in a difficult time and went somewhere else where it was easier. She tells them she left full, but God has brought her back empty. Then she begins to do what many of us do when we have had difficulties in our life -- blame God!

We need to see that Naomi and her family left Bethlehem Judah without God telling them to leave. I know we have all made decisions based on what seemed logical at the time, but we need to understand that God wants to lead us in our decisions so we don't make hasty ones, or the wrong ones!

Remember, she said she left full, but came back empty. Many of us have done this very thing. I told a friend of mine, Charlie, just the other day that we make decisions based on what we want, or what seems logical at the time, and then we ask God to bless what we have done. The problem is that God doesn't want to follow behind and clean up the mess. HE wants to lead us so HE can bless!! Stepping out in faith does not mean moving without the Word of the Lord! If you don't have the Word of the Lord, you have no foundation on which to stand when things get tough. Faith isn't stupidity, or as one brother many years ago said, presumptous. It hears the directions of the Holy Spirit and then follows! That is faith. Standing, and moving, on the Word of God!

The decisions Naomi and family made were without the Word of the Lord, and she ended up bitter. The bed partner for bitterness is blame. We get bitter, then we begin to blame. We start to blame God when it was us that got us there! I know many people that once walked with God, made decisions, then ended up bitter, and then blamed God for the loss they began to experience in their life. You can always tell when someone is bitter. They lash out at the very first chance they have, at anything and everything! And the lashing out includes the blame game. Remember --- Bitterness Breeds Blame!!

But, there is a happy ending to this story! God turned Mara back to Naomi! HE removed her bitterness and restored her pleasantness!

If you find yourself in this story, repent for hasty decisions, ask God to remove the weight of bitterness from your life, and repent for blaming HIM and, or, anyone else.

HE is faithful to meet us where we are. HE loves us.