With a squeal and a sprint, my little girl runs around the house with a blanket tied around her shoulders. Fists held high in the air she yells “super powers!” as loud as her two year old lungs will let her and she believes completely that she’s actually flying. As I watch her, my heart aches knowing that one day, she might not believe she can be the hero.
What happens when she realizes she can’t really fly, or that she’s not the fastest/strongest/smartest/most popular? Will she stand aside to let someone else do the brave thing or will she believe in who she is and Whose she is? I think about the amazing heroes of the Bible and wonder what I can teach her now that will help her believe that girls can be heroes, too.
It’s Ruth that God brings to my heart. Compared to the superheroes of modern culture, she’s the opposite in so many ways. Her story isn’t flashy or extravagant. She doesn’t live a lonely life in a cave, hiding her true identity only to come out at night in a cape and a costume to save the world.
Ruth is:
- Brave
- Obedient
- Loyal
- Faithful
- Bold
- Courageous
- Loving
- Kind
These are the qualities I want my daughter to learn, the super powers that will change the world. I want to teach my daughter that true heroes, like Ruth, need others to stand with them as they do the brave work. She’ll need cheerleaders, coaches, mentors, and friends to encourage and teach her. Ruth learned from Naomi, sought wise counsel, made thoughtful decisions and trusted the path God placed her on – a path far away from the comforts and familiarity of home. True heroes learn from others, know the laws and rules and work within them – unlike the superheroes of blockbuster fame who ignore the law to serve a greater good.
It’s in the small acts of obedience and loyalty that we can change the world. Ruth followed Naomi even though staying would have been the easier and more common decision. But her choice to go, to leave the only home she knew, produced a greater blessing than she could have ever expected. Her simple act of loyalty was part of God’s grand plan to use common, every day people in the beautifully crafted genealogy of Christ – an outcome Ruth would never know in her lifetime.
Ruth was heroic when she made a decision that wasn’t easy or popular but it was what God was asking of her. Ruth was heroic when she acted in faith and kindness as she sought out Boaz. Ruth was patient, humble, and hard-working as she waited. It is strength of character that makes a hero more than strength of muscles. And I pray that my little girl will always choose to fly – to the heart and arms of the One who will be her strength, as she believes she can be the hero.
Learn more about Ruth and 24 other heroes of the Old Testament in this devotional and activity download pack – Old Testament Heroes!
Download a sample devotional about Ruth here!
A toddler-wrangling, coffee & chocolate loving, full-time working mama married to her high-school sweetheart, Crystal is passionate about living authentically in the beautiful, messy, unfinished parts of life. It’s through the eyes of her daughter that Crystal has learned what it’s like to love fully, forgive completely, and encourage daily, which she does as the Editorial & Marketing Manager at (in)courage and at her blog, crystalstine.me. Crystal lives in PA & has spoken at Allume, Raising Generations Today, and (in)RL. You can connect with her on Twitter and Instagram at @CrystalStine.
