I love a good romance don’t you? The Old Testament book of Ruth is filled with tragedy, heroism and romance!   A young widow, Ruth took a giant step of faith when she left her home country of Moab to travel with her mother in law, Naomi, to Bethlehem, Judah.  I wonder what went through her mind as she said good bye to all that was familiar? Even after Naomi encouraged her to go back to her people  she held firm with her decision. Where did her confidence come from?  I believe it came because she took a step of faith towards, God saying, “Your God will be my God.” (Ruth 1:16)  As a result of her faith, the Holy One rewarded her with confidence. She had the confidence to follow Naomi’s instructions. She had the confidence to get a job – working in the barley fields of Boaz. She even found the confidence to follow Naomi’s instructions to ask Boaz to be her kinsman redeemer. A kinsman redeemer was someone who would marry a widow in the family so that the family name would continue. Ruth ends up marrying Boaz and giving birth to a son who would be the grandfather to King David. Whew – what a happy ending almost like a fairytale.  I love happy endings! Sigh…..

One thing is crystal clear to me as I think about the story of Ruth – God honors bold steps of faith. With each step of faith we take, I believe God gives more confidence. Do you want to be confident? Then perhaps it’s time to take a bold step of faith.  Do those closest to you see you as a person of fear or a person of faith?  I would love to hear your stories of recent steps of faith. How have those steps impacted your confidence? Leave a comment and I’ll choose one comment on Friday and send out a gift card to Panera! Don’t miss out – leave a comment today to be sure you are entered in the drawing!