Friends That Can Encourage You Forward 
based on the book of Ruth

Hi everyone! My name is Julia, and I am a pastor in our Women's Ministry, Fame.  We are learning from the women in the Old Testament, and the woman I am sharing with you today is Ruth. I love Ruth’s story. Ruth is a short book in the old testament- it’s just four chapters long, and it covers about 11 years of her life.  Most people know the story of Ruth being focused on the end where a hopeless widow fulfills her destiny, marries her dream man, and eventually becomes the great grandmother of King David, which becomes a linage of Jesus Christ, our savior. Yet Ruth is so much more than just a romantic story of love.  It's also a story of friendship and one woman’s devotion & loyalty. The most famous verse in this story has Ruth talking to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She says, “Don't ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16 GNB). Naomi saw the determination in Ruth and took her under her wing. 

This scripture resonates with me and has for the past two decades. Ruth was no longer connected to Naomi because her husband had died, and Naomi had told her to go back to her people. Yet, Ruth was determined to stay by her side and to start a new life together. She commits to Naomi, which was committing to the unknown.  Ruth was devoted to this new calling in her life: to be in Naomi’s world. And Naomi took her in and gave her guidance, support, love, and encouragement. Have you ever felt like God was calling you just to surrender everything and take steps into the unknown? This happened to me 20 years ago.

I am actually a third-generation ballet teacher, following in the footsteps of my mom and grandmother. My mom set me up for success when I was 18 years old, and we had just moved down to San Diego. She helped me secure a job at a fantastic Ballet Studio, and I worked there for four years all through college. However, I was not super happy at that location, and I remember having a conversation with Pastor Tami.  I was 21 years old, saying, “ I know I'm called to be a ballet teacher, but I feel like I need to give this up... I don't feel like it's the right spot for me, and I am really struggling to surrender it.”

I felt like a Ruth talking to my Naomi and asking her for wisdom. Pastor Tami encouraged me to pray, get a scripture, then hear from God and move forward without fear. So I put in my two-week notice and surrendered that ballet teaching job, and I went on to waitress tables.  I was hired at California Pizza Kitchen, and I loved being a waitress, but I was called to be a dance teacher. Over the next nine months of serving tables, I had to keep the faith that I would teach ballet again. And guess what? A brand new studio opened up just down the street from City Church, and that studio was called Danceology. Twenty years later, I'm still there teaching all types of dance, and it's been a dream job.

God taught me so much through that situation in my life. And as I looked at the story of Ruth,  I see how God put Naomi in her life to give her wisdom and encourage her forward. Having loyal and trusted friends around you to take a step of faith is how God intended us to do life. Proverbs 13:20 states, “Walk with the wise, and become wise.”  I hope you can identify several friends in your life that can be like a Naomi to you. And maybe there are friends in your life like Ruth, needing you to be their Naomi.  I so appreciate the women of FAME. We have all been asked to step out into the unknown in times of our lives, and our friend group is there to bring encouragement and wisdom as we step forward in faith. 

I would love to know a time in your life where a friend encouraged you to take a step of faith. Share in the comments below how you've been supported by loyal friendship.