She ate until she was satisfied and had some left over. Ruth 2:14

Ruth and Naomi were poor.  Achingly so.   Their cupboards were bare and would have stayed that way if Ruth hadn’t taken to the fields to gather stray pieces of grain from the threshing floor. I can imagine that she was famished when Boaz invited her to a meal. As he served her, it doesn’t appear that she lost her manners. Though some might have seized the moment to eat voraciously, to the exclusion of their surroundings, Ruth did not. She ate just until she felt satisfied and then left some of what was offered to her. She did not take advantage of Boaz’ good nature.

Boaz witnessed restraint and a quiet kind of dignity. She did not devour the bread as if desperate to fill every empty space. She received what was given, and when her hunger eased, she stopped. She left something behind—not because she was full of food, but because she was full of gratitude. Ruth’s hunger bowed before holiness. She recognized that even abundance must be held with open hands because entitlement will erode every relationship in its path.

I want to make sure that I am like Ruth.

• When I ask for an hour of someone’s time, an hour I feel I need desperate, and they can only give me ten minutes, may I be satisfied and thankful.
• When I am wounded or weary, and a friend cannot linger long with my pain, may I turn to God for comfort instead of resenting the limits of human love.
• When someone offers me something costly, may I be discerning to honor their sacrifice more than the gift itself.

Without being rooted in Christ, I could become a narcissist.  Entitlement whispers, “You owe me!”  But gratitude breathes, “You have given me more than I deserve.”  Small portions because a feast of grace.   

Lord, it’s easy for my need to become my center of gravity, pulling every thought toward myself. Help me to see others, to value them, even in my own need.  Amen