God takes what has been lost and writes a new chapter in our story. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   Are you more comfortable in gain or in loss? We don’t have to think about that one long at all, do we? When the bank account is full, new cars are in the driveway, all the latest fashion trends hang in the closet, the air is cool and the pantry is overflowing, life is good and oh so comfortable. But what about when life takes a turn and things begin to unravel? The job is lost, the car breaks down, the AC stops working, the bills pile up and what once was is no longer? All of a sudden, it can get very uncomfortable. In most wedding ceremonies you vow to love one another for richer or for poorer. We do that because LOVE isn’t dependent on what you have. True love REMAINS in gain or in loss. God’s love for you is even greater and isn’t dependent on what we have or do, but how often does OUR love and devotion for Him wane when things get uncomfortable and don’t look like we had hoped. In these hot and uncomfortable days of summer, I'm taking a look, the rest of this month, at uncomfortable moments in scripture. What can we learn from men and women, who even in their very uncomfortable circumstances, didn’t retreat, stayed the course and honored God? We can learn so much from their lives and be inspired to not only STAY in the uncomfortable moments, but we can grow and thrive as a result of them. When I started thinking about who I wanted to highlight, one of the top names to come to mind was Ruth. The very first line of this four chapter book in the Old Testament sets the stage for it all. Ruth 1:1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. There was a famine in the land. People were hungry and there was nothing to eat. Now keep in mind, these were Israelites, God’s people. They were starving. This famine wasn’t simply about food, their hearts had turned away from God. Instead of trusting God, families were ejecting from the promised land to go figure it out for themselves and find comfort once again. That path took this family we read about in chapter one verse one to the land of Moab. The Moabites were enemies of the Israelites and worshiped idols. Still, Moab is where they went and found wives for their two sons. Before you even get to verse six, the man and his two sons die, leaving behind his wife, Ruth and her two daughters in law. To say things had unraveled and were uncomfortable for these women would be an understatement, but what we see unfold in this beautiful redemption story is a direct result of what these women did when things got rough. Naomi, the wife, returned home, where she belonged. Ruth 1:7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. Naomi knew she wasn’t where God wanted her to be. She didn’t stay in the comforts and provision of the enemy, she went home, to the land God had promised and delivered, and she trusted He would provide. Ruth, the faithful daughter in law, chose to go with Naomi back to Bethlehem. Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. This is a beautiful display of love, in gain or in loss. Ruth didn’t leave Naomi. She chose to stay when the going got tough. As a result of her faithful obedience in this very uncomfortable and most uncertain moment of her life, what was lost was about to be redeemed. That’s how God loves us. He takes what has been lost and writes a new chapter in our story. That’s the truth. Go read the rest of Ruth and see how God not only redeemed Ruth and Naomi’s story, but how He redeemed ours as well. I’m Lori Cline.