But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people [shall be] my people, and your God, my God. “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Ruth 1:16-17

Most of us would never dream of marrying someone without first meeting their family. We want to know: Who shaped them?  What kind of environment formed their heart, their habits, their way of loving? When we take vows, we’re not just uniting with a person—we’re inheriting an entire family. It’s weighty, as it should be.

That’s why Ruth astonishes me. She bound her life to Naomi’s with a vow that was breathtaking.  She pledged herself not only to Naomi, but to Naomi’s people, her homeland, and her God. She did this without meeting any of them. No glimpse of Bethlehem. No conversation with Naomi’s kin. No tangible security to fall back on. It would be like marrying a stranger from another land, moving to his country, adopting his language, customs, and faith, and all while knowing he had lost everything and had no means to provide. What a terrifying act of trust. And yet, she said yes.

Ruth’s words— “Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried”—move me deeply. She didn’t even ask to have her body carried back to Moab. She wanted to lie beside Naomi, her dust mingled with hers, their lives and legacies intertwined beyond the grave. That is the kind of love that neither calculates nor holds back.

When I met Jesus and realized the depth of His love for me, I, too, said yes.  I took up my cross and followed Him, not knowing where the path would lead. I accepted His people (my new brothers and sisters) as my own, despite our differences. I said yes to belonging to a family of strangers who are somehow one body, one faith, and one hope. Like Ruth, I followed love into foreign territory, trusting that wherever He leads, that is home.

Lord, I will not hold back what love requires. Let me see the wonder of belonging to You so completely. Amen.