A Fork in the Road

In the spring of 2015, I had reached the end of what had become a pivotal freshman year of college.  I felt isolated and confused over my own beliefs.  

I had grown up in the Roman Catholic Church and accepted the Catholic teaching.  My first priority in stepping on campus was to find the nearest Catholic community.

That fall, I met a pastor of another church.  Curiosity led me to joining his bible study, followed by the church’s worship team.  What began as double-dipping on churches turned into several months of questioning my beliefs.  The more I studied Scripture and doctrine, the more I found the two lines of theology at conflict with one another.  I would need to eventually choose one.  

Then came the fork in the road:  I was asked to become a worship leader at my new church that coming fall.  Not only was I to decide on a responsibility I wasn’t sure I was ready for, but I knew this decision would ultimately reflect the conjecture I had reached in this dilemma of faith. 

What if I wasn’t ready to be a worship leader?  What would my family think about my choice to step away from Catholicism?  What would it look like for me to leave behind the worship tradition I was so familiar with?

Perhaps you can recall a fork in the road in your own life;  a decision offering vastly different outlooks…  

A job offer.

A romantic partner.  

A potential move.  

Throughout the book of Ruth, we see the full impact of a decision made by Ruth at a literal fork in the road in Chapter 1.  The now widowed Naomi begins a journey to return back to her native Bethlehem from her sojourn in Moab with her also widowed Moabite daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah.  

Eventually, Naomi breaks down and implores the two of them to return home, where they were more likely to remarry.  Orpah parts.  Ruth stays by Naomi’s side.  In 1:16, Ruth says, 

“For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”

Ruth’s decision was not merely about Naomi.  There were plenty of reasons why it made sense to part, including the fact that having her two daughters-in-law by her side would be a humiliating reminder to Naomi of hers and Elimelech’s disobedience in the first place.  

At her lowest point, Ruth had found God.  While Orpah chose what appeared to be the safe, sensible route – returning to the place she knew in hopes of remarrying – Ruth took the risk, the step of faith, not knowing what was on the other side.  She wanted the best that God had for her.  

I must admit, I don’t always look forward to what God has for me.  In my current season, I have repeatedly found my prayers singing to the tune of “Really, God?  What is the point of this?” I am quick to dismiss the fact that God is at work in every situation.  And like Orpah, my temptation is to focus on solving what’s seemingly lacking in my earthly life.  

Perhaps you feel helpless in a particular area of life.  Perhaps you find yourself at a fork in the road of your own as you read this.  

First, let me encourage you that your walk with the Lord is not about passing each test, so that you don’t mess up His plan.  Naomi and Elimelech messed up big time, but that didn’t stop God from eventually fulfilling an incredible plan for Naomi’s life.

Secondly, pursue God’s best with open hands, and don’t settle for less.  This means being ready to accept something different than you had envisioned.  Our expectation as believers is not that God will always deliver what we seek, but that He will conform us to His image and His desires so that we may gladly receive what He has for us.  (See Romans 12:2)

Ruth’s and Naomi’s blessing from God was far more than either could have imagined.  And from the bloodline of Ruth’s new husband, Boaz, we eventually see how even God Himself chose the path of greater sacrifice with His own life on the line.  

In what areas of your life have you chosen the easy, comfortable path?   What would it look like to act in faith in your current season?

~Jared Grenfell and his wife Grace have have been active members of the LIFE Fellowship community for several years and lead a young adult LIFE Community. Jared has served in various roles on the LIFE Worship team including Music Director.