Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. – Ruth 1:8

Today's Scripture Reading (March 14, 2022): Ruth 1

In "Philip K. Dyck: The Last Interview and Other Conversations," the science fiction icon comments that "If practicality and morality are polarized and you must choose, you must do what you think is right, rather than what you think is practical." Dyck doesn't talk about the enormous pressure on all of us to do the reverse. When practicality and morality are polarized, there is overwhelming pressure on us to choose what is practical over what is moral. And often, it is precisely what I hear from the people around me. The excuse is often, "I know what the right thing to do was, but I felt I had to make this choice." In other words, I know what is right and moral, but I feel I have to choose what is practical." We continually select the things that we need to get through the next few moments over what we know is right and moral.

Naomi and her daughters-in-law are all widows. Their husbands are dead, so, in this, they are equal. But there is a significant difference between the women. Orpah and Ruth are both from Moab; only Naomi is a foreigner. And Naomi has chosen to go home, to exchange the role of a foreigner for the part of a widow amongst her own people. It will still be a hard life for Naomi back home; all of her support is gone. But at least in Bethlehem, she will have some friends to help her through the dark moments that are on their way.

There is no question that Naomi is important to Orpah and Ruth. There does not seem to be a strained relationship between these girls and their mother-in-law. And so, they want to support Naomi. But that leaves Naomi with a hard decision. Life and the journey toward home would be a lot easier if Naomi had Orpah and Ruth on which to lean. But home for both of the girls is Moab, not the small town of Bethlehem in Judah. The practical thing for Naomi is to keep her daughters-in-law close. But that was not the moral response. The reality was that both Orpah and Ruth have roots and families that will help them in Moab. There might have been an upside for Naomi to keep the girls with her, but there is no upside for the girls.

And so, Naomi decides to choose the moral over the practical. To send the girls back to their mothers, where they will find the love and support that they will need to start life over again. Naomi knew that the right thing was to continue her journey by herself. It was not an easy decision, but Naomi knew deep inside herself that it was the right decision. And as she sends them away, she leaves with them a blessing. May the God that Naomi served reflect the kindness to them that they had so willingly lavished on Naomi and her family. They would be missed, but Naomi knew that they still had a chance for a good life, an option that had now passed by Naomi.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ruth 2