Can We Accept Goodness?

Have you ever been surprised when a prayer was answered? It’s kind of funny, right, that you’d pray about something and then be shocked that you received just what you asked for. That’s what happened to Ruth at this point in the story. In Ruth 2:7 she had asked to be able to stay with Boaz’s workers to glean extra grain to take home to Naomi. When Ruth got back home to Naomi at the end of that remarkable first day of harvesting, she spills over with excitement and says:

“He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’” - Ruth 2:21

And that’s exactly what she asked for. And yet, part of her is just overcome with amazement that it actually occurred. She’d taken a wild risk, shooting for justice for Naomi - and she’d hit the jackpot! She got a prime place in the harvest - she and Naomi would have enough food for months to come. You can hear the amazement and gratitude in her voice, can’t you?

Sometimes it’s hard to take in all the goodness. Sure, there are seasons when there’s not so much goodness. But when it does come, can you receive it? You’ve been praying for it - can you now let it in? Why is it hard for you to trust it, to embrace it?

Brene Brown talks about ‘foreboding joy’ as the condition of not really being present to our happiness in the moment out of fear that it will be taken away sometime. As you read Brene’s description of foreboding joy, take a moment to reflect on how Ruth embraced her joy - and ask the Spirit to help you as well.

“Scarcity and fear drive foreboding joy.  We’re afraid that the feeling of joy won’t last, or that there won’t be enough, or that the transition to disappointment (or whatever is in store for us next) will be too difficult.  We’ve learned that giving in to joy is, at best, setting ourselves up for disappointment and, at worst, inviting disaster.  And we struggle with the worthiness issue.  Do we deserve our joy, given our inadequacies and imperfections?  What about the starving children and the war-ravaged world?  Who are we to be joyful?

If the opposite of scarcity is enough, then practicing gratitude is how we acknowledge that there’s enough and that we’re enough. - Brene Brown