Sticking Close
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ROMANS 8:38, 39
As humans, it is hard to always be a faithful friend. Especially as kids we seem to jump from one friendship to the next depending on what “shiny” object is offered. From a reserved place at the lunch table, the promise of splitting a chocolate bar, or being invited to a birthday party. Relationships can be fleeting, unstable, and downright hurtful.
I remember when I was a young girl my best friend said to me- you are not my best friend anymore. It hurt. I felt all alone and rejected by my friend. It felt like she had cut off my legs and I couldn’t walk anymore. Then I started to think that I was unlovable. Thinking that there must have been something I did that caused her to pull her love away. The truth is, kids are not always able to say I can be your best friend AND Nancy’s best friend at the same time. Because of this sometimes kids get hurt. The sad thing is that this scenario also happens to adults. Sometimes relationships hurt.
How do you handle rejection?
The Book of Ruth tells the story of an Israelite family that decided to move out of the land of protection to a foreign land because there was a famine. They settled in Moab, their boys got married and things seem to be going well. After some time both her husband and sons died, so Naomi was left with her two Moabite daughter-in-laws. Because there was nothing left for Naomi in Moab - she decided to return to her homeland of Judah. One of her daughter-in-laws insisted on staying with Naomi despite she knew she would be treated poorly as a foreigner. Ruth’s words in chapter 1:16 show her determination to stick close to Naomi. “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
Why do you think Ruth was so strong in her convictions? Does someone come to mind that you have this close of a relationship with?
For many, the word “friend” or even “family” brings up feelings of distrust and caution. We have been let down, put down and even at times totally forgotten. The super cool thing is that we serve a God Who will never leave us or pull His love away from us. Romans 8:38,39 tells us there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love. The situations listed in Romans 8 are pretty significant. They include TIME- the present and future, SPACE - height and depth, PHYSICAL REALM - anything created, and SPIRITUAL REALM - angels or demons. NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. We belong. We find this love when we follow Jesus and develop a relationship with Him. In Matthew 28:20 Jesus says, “ And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We can count on Jesus to always be there. To always be our friend. To always listen and speak to us. We are so important to Jesus that He will always stick close.
What does it mean to you to know you have a Friend that sticks close? How does that change the way you live?