JourneyOnline
By Rev Andrew Gunton, Moderator, Uniting Church in Australia Queensland Synod.
Do you have a close companion who supports you on your journey through life? Maybe if you’re fortunate enough, you might have a few people who continue to support you, to love you, and to hold you close in the times when the going gets tough.
In the biblical story of Ruth and Naomi, we see two women drawn together through their common grief, who walked together on a very tough journey through the death of Naomi’s husband and her sons, one of whom was Ruth’s husband.
Naomi finds herself in a strange land far from home, and in this place, Ruth becomes her companion. Although she is no longer obliged to stick with Naomi, Ruth continues to journey with her to support her in her tough times and literally journey with her back to her home country.
Ruth is Naomi’s constant companion through the dark times, and this is reciprocated when Naomi is able to introduce Ruth to Boaz through her family connections.
In our modern times of increasing individualism in these times of heightened social isolation, it’s so important to have good companions on our journey with us. People who love us for who we are, people who are fearlessly honest with us, who keep us accountable and support us unconditionally.
The promise of Christ is that God is our constant companion walking with us through all of the highs and lows of life. In God, we find the one who accepts us unconditionally, who loves us unquestionably and who continues to journey with us.
I pray that you have a constant companion or constant companions in your life, people who are prepared to go the extra mile, people who are prepared to support you no matter what, and through them, you are reminded of God’s unconditional love and support for you and for your family.
