📖 From the Bible
Ruth answered, “Don’t make me leave you. Wherever you go, I’ll go, too. Wherever you live, I’ll live there. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God.”
Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.
This is how we tell this passage to kids. The exact words of the Bible are under “As it is in the Bible”.
Ruth 1:16 · Scripture: World English Bible Updated (public domain)
Everybody runs off to the playground. You stay behind on the bench because you feel sad. Who stays with you? Today’s story is about a woman who stayed with someone when everybody else walked away.
Naomi lived in a faraway country with her husband and their two sons. They had gone there to escape a time when there was no food. Then something really sad happened. Her husband died. After a while, her sons died, too. Naomi was left with two young women, the wives of her sons. One of them was named Ruth.
Naomi decided to go back to her own country. She told the two young women, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house.” One of them said goodbye and left. But Ruth stayed. Naomi asked her one more time. And Ruth answered that she would go wherever Naomi went and stay wherever Naomi stayed. “Your people will be my people, and your God my God.”
That was a huge choice. Ruth left her home and her family. In the new place, she didn’t know anybody. And the two of them were very poor. Every day Ruth went to somebody else’s field and picked up the leftover grain that the workers dropped. The owner of the field was named Boaz. He heard what Ruth had done for Naomi. He told his workers to leave extra grain for her. He gave her food, too. God took care of both women through ordinary, kind people.
Did you know?
Ruth wasn’t from Naomi’s people. She came from another country. And still, she became part of God’s family. King David was the son of her grandson. Ruth’s name is even on a list of Jesus’ family from long ago. There were very few women on that list. The Bible shows that God notices people that others think of as outsiders.
Look at Jesus
Ruth’s name is in Jesus’ family list: “Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth.” So the woman who stayed is one of Jesus’ great-grandmothers from long, long ago. And Jesus is a lot like her. He stays with us, too. He never walks away, even when we feel alone. Jesus is always right beside you.
What about you?
Somebody in your class is sitting alone at recess. Maybe they’re new. Maybe they had a bad day. You don’t have to do anything big. Walk over and ask, “Want to join us?” Or just sit down next to them. You don’t need smart words. Ruth didn’t do anything flashy. She just stayed. Sometimes that’s the best gift.
Let’s talk about it
- Can you remember a time when someone stayed with you, even though they could have gone off to play? How did that feel?
- Why is it sometimes hard to stay with someone who’s sad?
- Who in your class or on your street is easy to miss?
Today’s challenge
Today at recess or outside, ask someone who’s standing off to the side, “Want to join us?” If there’s nobody there, draw a little picture for someone who could use a smile.
Prayer
God, thank You for the people who stay with me when things are hard. Help me notice the ones who are alone, and be there for them. Amen.
Tap when you have prayed.