Speaking Truth
POST BY JESSIE BLOSS
4 minute read
As a community of practice, Spring Church has paid attention to our vocation both as individuals the Church over the past several weeks. Our learning journey together so far, has included:
Defining vocation as “participating in what God is doing."
Learning that "finding our vocation" doesn't really exist because our vocation isn't something we find but rather something we receive from God in the context of our daily lives in relationship with others.
Understanding our vocation is to give and receive love to the people around us.
Ruth is a story about her giving and receiving from others, which is hard to do. There are many challenging aspects to Ruth's journey, which is why I feel her story can speak honestly to us all. I think it's safe to assume that Ruth's day-to-day responsibilities picking up leftover grain in the fields to feed herself and Naomi did not meet protocol for the famous American-coined phrase "her dream job." This responsibility wasn't an outcome of her working hard or focusing on her achievement. Instead, this was an outcome of her clinging to Naomi, even as this meant willingly entering poverty. Her vocation would have looked entirely different if she didn't cling to Naomi. (Ruth 1:16). Yet through this decision to care for her mother-in-law, she was participating in what God was doing. And as a result, lead others, namely Boaz, to notice how God was working in their midst.
When we read about Boaz's encounter with Ruth face-to-face for the first time, he demonstrates an essential aspect of vocation we've yet to explore directly. He speaks truth over Ruths' life.
(Ruth 2:11-12) Boaz answered her, "I've heard all about you - heard about the way you treated your mother-in-law after the death of her husband, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and have come to live among a bunch of total strangers. May God reward you well for what you've done; the God of Israel himself bless you for coming under his wings seeking protection."
Boaz is affirming that he sees her faithfully following Jesus in her everyday life. And her response to him speaking truth over her is full of gratitude and humility.
She said, "Oh sir, such grace, such kindness - I don't deserve it. You've touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don't even belong here!" (Ruth 2:13)
There is immense joy in being known. In speaking truth over Ruth, Boaz allowed her to be known and loved for who she is, even if it was challenging for her to love herself. Don't we all ultimately desire to be fully known and fully loved? God fully knows us and fully loves us as we are.
Jesus says, "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other." (John 13:34-35)
The defining characteristic of following Jesus is to give and receive love. Both Jesus and Boaz show us that our vocation of loving ourselves and one another include speaking truth into each others' lives in faith, hope, and love.
The triad of faith, hope, and love is repeated numerous times throughout the New Testament in Paul's letters. Perhaps most famously in 1 Corinthians 13:13, "So now, faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
Before we move into how we speak truth with faith, hope and love, we need to examine what these words mean from a Biblical perspective:
Although we can define faith, hope, and love individually, we cannot separate them. Whenever one is mentioned, the other two are implied.
When Ruth experienced Boaz speaking truth over her, she experienced the Holy Spirit affirming her in:
Her faith in God that she acting on behalf of,
The hope she was leaning into, and,
The love she was giving to Naomi.
The Holy Spirit animates our ability to speak these graces over someone today the same way Boaz did for Ruth.
So what does this look like? It looks like paying attention. Boaz heard about Ruth and took time to pay attention to her and understand her story with curiosity. Boaz affirmed he saw Ruth faithfully following Jesus in her everyday life. He named her actions by highlighting the observed behavior she has demonstrated. Notice he used verbs like, "You cared for your mother-in-law," "you left your homeland, you are living amongst strangers." Boaz noticed where Ruth was living out of God’s story in faith, hope, and love.
Where have you seen faith, hope, and love bubble up in your life and the lives of those around you? What would it look like for you to reach out and affirm someone in these truths and celebrate what God is doing in and through their life? Consider joining us on Sunday as we practice this together and discuss how speaking truth into each others’ lives is part of our vocation as individuals and as a church.