She said, "These six
measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, 'Do not go to your mother-in-law
empty-handed.'" Then she said, "Wait, my daughter, until you know how
the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he has settled it
today."
Is your patience tried daily as you have to “wait”
for other people to make decisions, to purchase things, for a red light to turn
green? Waiting is hard to do when we want to get on with life—to move forward,
to get answers. When my daughter was small I prayed and prayed for patience.
She was a very energetic and trying child—and I lacked a lot of parenting
skills, so I prayed. Then when I shared with a friend that I was praying for
patience, she asked me if I was crazy. Didn’t I know that when you pray for
patience you get trials? No I didn’t know that. I changed my prayer to one of
change my attitude and help my daughter learn to be obedient. Now she is a
parent of three adorable active children who daily try her patience!
Patience is required for waiting. Wait, Naomi told
Ruth. Wait, as the clock ticked away. No, they didn’t have clocks then. Wait,
as the sun rose higher in the sky. Ruth and Naomi could do nothing but wait at
their home. Ruth likely puttered around the house, sweeping dusting, maybe
grinding some grain. What do you do as you wait for an answer to a life
changing situation. Do you pray? God cares about every detail of our lives—the
big things and the small details. The things seen and the things unseen. We can
give everything to Him. Scripture tells us, in several places, to cast all our
cares, our worries on Him. There is a lot of comfort in Psalm 55. Verse 22
says, Cast your burden upon the Lord and
He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. In 1
Peter 5:6-7 Paul writes, Therefore humble
yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper
time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. He cares
for us—He really cares. The God of the Universe who created the heavens, the
stars, the wind, the rain, the dust, flowers, grain, even the very cells in our
bodies, He cares about us and our needs.
Lord God, we give
You our worries, wants and woes. We rely on You today to provide answers for
our every concern and we wait, just as Ruth waited.
Comfort food as Ruth and Naomi waited for an answer
from Boaz may not have been a grilled cheese sandwich, but that is a favorite
comfort food for my family. Serve it with some tomato soup, and you can feel the
love. Below is more of a culinary inspiration list than an actual recipe. Invent
new combinations just for yourself, family or friends. It only takes a few
minutes of waiting for a wonderful
sandwich.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
1-2
slices of bread per sandwich: Ruth may have used a fresh barley flour pita
White,
sourdough, whole wheat, multigrain, rye Favorite cheese: Goat, Cheddar, Swiss, American, Colby Jack, pepper jack
Additional cheeses to consider for extra flavor: Blue, gruyere, horseradish cheddar
Meat (optional): ham, turkey, crab, chicken, beef, pastrami
Additional condiments: mustard, cranberries, strawberry jam
Browning agent: butter, olive oil, mayonnaise
Warm skillet. Butter or oil bread lightly. Place the
moist side of the bread down in the pan and add the cheese, or cheeses, meat
and other condiments, as desired. Be creative. Top with an additional slice of
bread, or continue to cook as an open face sandwich. If using the pita bread,
cheese can be placed inside the pita and then lightly browned. If using two
pieces of bread, turn the sandwich over when the bottom piece of bread is
nicely toasted, but not burnt. Enjoy!
© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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