The Importance of Family

            As far back as I can remember I have spent Thanksgiving Day surrounded by family. I have so many relatives; so when we all get a chance to be with one another, we take full advantage of those opportunities! Yeah it can be difficult to gather everyone together, but we always try our very best to make it happen.  Why? Well we do it because we understand the importance of family. Being together with the ones you love can fill your heart with a tremendous joy while on this earth. There are not many things we can do here that bring us true joy, but spending time with the ones dearest to you has to be one of them.

            When I think about family and the importance of it, I think of Ruth! Ruth was a Moabitess and a widow. She had a mother in law (Naomi) and a sister in law (Orpah). All three of these women’s husbands died and left them alone. Life was already rough for a woman in these times, but to be a widow practically guaranteed your demise. That is not even mentioning the fact that famine had struck the land. They had nothing to live off of. The most valuable thing they had at this point was each other. Naomi, knowing these women had their own mothers, said “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house.” She did this out of pure love for her daughter in laws; Naomi wanted the best for them. We see in V.9 of Chapter 1 the unbelievable tie these women had to their mother in law; it says “Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.” Wow, what a sign of how close this family was. We are told in V.14 that Ruth “clung to” her mother-in-law. This word shows us that Ruth wanted nothing more in that moment than to stay with Naomi. It shows their closeness and it shows their incredible bond.

            Do we have this kind of relationship with our families? Where we can cling to them and rely on one another in bad times. To be able to know that even in the poorest of times, when you have nothing left, you still have each other. That is what family meant to these three women. What does it mean to us? I don’t know about you, but I am thanking God for my family today.