Once upon a time it was extremely difficult to be single and also be a faithful Christian not living a righteous life doing quite a bit of ungodly things. Too many obstacles and stumbling blocks keep you from advancing where you should be. The banes in life causing uneven steps—the media with no testaments to truth at times with fake news, reporting on images of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lying, cheating, murder, are rife and ridiculous. More often than not, and in many of our favorite television shows, magazines, music, it is ad nauseam. It can seem like no one is paying attention to, or even caring what God’s Word has to say in all these situations. I’m cognizant as a Christian in my new life, I have to honor God with my mind, our heart and embodiment of spiritual resolve. It is my intent that this essay will give you hope and strength to do just that; but I have a story to tell. I draw my strength relative to the gist of this essay from the story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz (in the Book of Ruth) illustrating my point. You must understand where I was, to where living under the word of God has taken me; I must admit that I was once very much OUT THERE. I am going to be transparent and bare my soul here. I thought that because I loved my significant other that God would forgive me of the sins of fornication, living together without the benefit of marriage thinking I could do anything without reproach, reasoning and redemption. Little did I know that God doesn’t operate like that. I took the Lord for granted…and like everyone else around me they were doing as I was. I had been married before, but prior to that I was in several long-term relationships, but when they ended I still continued seeing them as ‘friends with benefits’, because I had a ‘need’ that had to be satiated, and they did too. Truthfully speaking, I loved sex, had a very strong drive and could not even fathom my life without it, no matter how it came, not to mention other sins. However, society said I wasn’t a bad person, based on my peers, and I went along with life in the fast lane, quite comfortable in that life for a while. 

     One day it became very clear I was getting  nowhere living this way. I found  myself alone, divorced, with nothing concrete to start anew. I felt extremely empty inside. What was I missing, I would ask myself? What was I going to do to fill the huge and widening void in my life? I always said that if God sent me someone worthy I would know that she was sent from Him—and He did! Cutting to the chase reading the book of Ruth, it reinforces my belief in miracles and a blessing. I used the story of those three noble characters to reinforce how an untangled web could be so benefitting. You know the story. Boaz was a wealthy landowner in Judea and was friends with Naomi's late husband. With eyes on Ruth (daughter-in-law of Naomi) while learning of her difficult familial order, he made a decision that turned the table one the whole story. Boaz became a Kinsman Redeemer. Furthermore, the Book of Ruth magnifies much more than a romance between two people as it really is about God’s amazing love for all mankind. I continued to comprehend, learning more about Who God really is, and what He could do for my life if I would just surrender it to Him – and on December 10, 2007, I did just that. I surrendered my life to Him and His will, and my life has become all the more rich and fuller for it. I would readily tell single women to consider themselvesI a ‘Ruth,’ waiting on their ‘Boaz’ to redeem them. God had a LOT of work to do on me to get me to this point, and I know I first had to tackle the truth that God does not change (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17 and Numbers 23:19). That meant that I would have had to conform to His ways and His will; He does not conform to ours! So my former reasoning was indeed flawed, to say the least; it was dead wrong! I renewed my mind and not let  my former world dictate my actions, thoughts and emotions. 

    As the story continues with her family gone, Naomi prepares to return to Bethlehem and bids her daughters-in-law goodbye, but Ruth refuses to stay with her people and declares, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be 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 anything but death separates you and me, Ruth 1:16-17”. Her loyalty and dedication to Ruth indicates not only her love for and loyalty to Naomi, who according to Jewish custom is reduced to living in abject poverty since she too old to marry or have children to care for her, but also to God. This story gives me inspiration to continue on my path to love my wife, be that Kingdom man and endow myself being a good provider and dominion over my family. Now, what lessons have I learned by studying the Scriptures and the moral of this story, and how do I apply them to my life? There are many to be sure, but I learned the strengths and weaknesses of my marriage as I needed to improve on self. I know the key areas where I need improvement. Redeeming value is such that the story of Ruth and Boaz is a beautiful example of the way that being given a chance for more work in a patriarchal culture inclusive to His will. In doing so, talking to the Israelites He explained His role as ‘Father’ of all, and His desire to redeem family members…and people like myself who wanted more out of my marriage restoring me fully in relationship to Him and to each other.

    In closing, I am blessed now being in the fold with a desire to stay on the journey…being in the direction of a straight and narrow road, turning right and looking up. Yes, and while my head is to the sky, I KNOW who my savior is!