Thoughts Over Week Three Readings of The Treasured Woman by Christa Bryant

Thoughts on Ruth:

Ruth is an amazing woman who shows her love for her family through her good works. Just as the Proverbs woman worked hard for her family, Ruth worked for hers. One of the things I love about Ruth is that she was willing to go to a strange country and live with her mother-in-law.

I would dare say many of us do not have that kind of relationship with our mothers-in-law, and truly that's sad. I am certain her love for Naomi is what drove her to work so hard, and something we would do good to emulate. After all, our mothers-in-law raised the men we love!

I know first-hand that it's hard leaving everyone you know and the place you grew up, but Ruth was willing to go. Many of us live in the same town we have always lived, or at the very least in the same state.

We are comfortable where we are, and we wouldn't dream of leaving. But, what if the church in Alaska needed you, or Florida or Ireland. Would you be willing to go? It's something we should all think about as we live our Christian walks. If God called for us to go today as he did in the Old Testament, would we say "Here am I send me?"

Thoughts on Abigail:

Abigail was a wise woman and full of courage. Christa points out that she took responsibility for the actions of her husband Nabal. While, Nabal's actions were not her own and shouldn't be held to Abigail's charge, she felt compelled to do the right thing anyway by offering hospitality to David when her husband had refused. Abigail was courageous to seek out David and offer him kindness.

We must learn that we should always do the right thing in this life, even when it's hard. As we raised our children, we always emphasized that telling the truth was the only option even if it was hard. My kids got the lesson, and I can't even tell you how many things they have told me over the years that knocked my socks off when they were asking for forgiveness. I am truly blessed!

Sometimes approaching a brother or sister in Christ is hard when we have a disagreement, or even when we were in the right and the other was in the wrong. Talking to each other is always better than spreading gossip or causing chaos. Sometimes we also need to know when it is best to walk away from a situation. We should always remember if we are doing what's right, God will sort it out in the end.

Thoughts on Deborah:

Deborah is one of my all-time favorite women in the Bible. She is an Old Testament example of a woman leading the nation of Israel as a judge. She is a military battle strategist, and also called the mother of Israel. Deborah was a phenomenal woman!

One of the reasons that Deborah was such a success is that she listened to God and knew she could put her trust in him. That is such a great lesson for us today. To understand what God wants for our lives we must understand his book, the Bible, and that takes study.

Christa observes that having the knowledge of God's word will help you as daily challenges arise. Isn't it a beautiful thing to know that God has supplied the answers all we have to do is look?