Nourishing New Creations

Ruth 4:16-17  [16] Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse.  [17] The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth's child brings new purpose into Naomi's life.  It is a new creation, not just for Ruth, but also for Naomi. New life born out of tragedy and loss.  New life that would not have occurred without tragedy and loss in this family of Elimelech.

Author and Sister Joan Chittister says, "Loss, ironically enough, is the catalyst of newness, a doorway to other parts of the soul, where what lies dormant in us comes alive because without f capacity for the unexplored, life dies.  You see, life is not one path; life is many paths, most of them unexplored in favor of closer, clearer ones.  But when loss comes, our creating God comes again to us in new and demanding ways so that we can finish the creation that has begun in us."

Finish the creation that has begun in us.  Not just finish but also be nursed toward finishing the creation that has begun in us.

Who is nursing you toward the finish line?

What is nourishing the new creation in you to grow?

Where is God at work in this nourishing?

Thanks be to God for continuing to create in us.