Ruthie

As Joseph adopted Jesus, so God adopted me. Ruthie was my stepmom. Although at the time, the only other stepmother we knew of was Cinderella’s. So we never used that term. Even now I try to use that term but cannot and so say “my?Ruthie.” In her own way and informally, she adopted me as her own.

When I think of God adopting me, I think of Ruthie, someone who listens to you, someone who helps you, someone who makes you her own. She saw our relationship through law and gospel. If she said; “I have a bone to pick with you!”-law. If she said; “Let’s sit down and chew the fat.”-gospel.

Ruths have that way about them. My Ruthie loved her namesake, a woman of faith in God-with-us all our lives. “Where you go, I will go?and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16) You give God that kind of opening and before long-okay, a few generations-you are the ancestor of Jesus. Naomi adopted Ruth, and Ruthie adopted me: family.

I think Paul would agree. We all have “Papa,” Abba, as our heavenly Father. Some of us are graced to have been adopted by a loving parent who shows us a glimpse of God, that wherever I go God goes with me.

God, thank you for being our big Papa. Amen. — BL