For context purposes, let me define the words "ruthless" and "ruth-less"!
ruthless
/ˈro͞oTHləs/
will do anything that is necessary to achieve what you want.
ruth-less
/ˈro͞oTHləs/
displaying a level of faith in God and a level of determination to do God's will that is less than the level of faith that Ruth in the Bible displayed.
Lately we have been in the Hustle Series. I started the series with the blog Have a Heart of Hustle where I admitted that I went through a season of side hustles for the purpose of securing the bag but not to secure my purpose. Basically,I was hustling backwards wasting time, money, and resources because none of them were in my hustle lane that God called me to. So important!
In Part II, Hustle like Ruth, I talked about how —contrary to the usual topic of conversation—Ruth’s story was way bigger than Boaz. The most important part of the story was her hustle—working in the field that God had called her to. Due to her obedience, Ruth’s hustle led to her getting her ultimate blessing. The bigger picture was that Ruth hustling for God is what put her in position to inherit her Boaz.
I would like to note that although in the blog Hustle like Ruth I credit Ruth’s hustle, one thing I cannot discount is her faith. As we remember in the Book of Ruth, Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah had all lost their husbands. When traveling back to Naomi’s hometown, Naomi urged her daughter-in-laws, Ruth and Orpah, to go back to their hometowns and not continue to Bethlehem with her. It was at this moment that we are given the greatest example of a ruth-less hustle when Orpah, unlike Ruth, decides to turn back.
Ruth 1:15 Then Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; turn back and follow your sister-in-law.
First, we have to examine what "turning back" meant. Ruth and Orpah were Moabites. Moab was a place of non-believers. This was a place where idols were worshiped and there was religious and moral corruption. So when they left Moab and married into Naomi's family, they married into an Israelite family. Although that Israelite element was taken away when they all lost their husbands, it was still their duty to not go back to what they were used to and instead let their faith guide them to where God was calling them. The biggest requirement for Ruth and Orpah in that season of uncertainty, regardless of what they were used to and what happened, was to keep going. They both had just lost husbands and were headed to an unknown place with Namoi. However, the difference between Ruth and Orpah is Ruth had faith that really met her hustle in that season-- Ruthless Hustle.
I can speak the same for myself during my current season of uncertainty. All I know for certain is that God gave me a prophesy and that this year —seven years later— He told me to write a book. I don't have any other answers. Without giving any more answers to aid in my understanding of how it will all work together, God just told me to write the book and gave me the title "The Seven Year Promise"! It was at that moment that I realized I was at a turning point —like Ruth and Orpah— to keep going to the unknown or do the easiest thing, which was to turn back. Like Ruth I chose to keep going and let my faith guide my hustle— Ruthless Hustle.
Despite my lack of answers, I was obedient about writing and publishing the book about a prophecy I have yet to see manifest. Obviously "The Seven Year Promise" was His will for my life and, if I knew nothing else, I knew that in His will is where we all find favor and provision. Therefore, I couldn't let my desire to "be in the know" affect my determination to "be in His Will". So, like Ruth I made sure I didn't succumb to what was going on "around" me but instead I kept going to what He was calling me to. After all, in the will of God is where Boaz found Ruth.
Although, the old me would have been ready to turn back to what I knew and was used to, at my crossroad, I didn't pull an "Orpah". When I started obediently walking with God, just as when Ruth and Orpah married into the Israelite family, I became different— my values are different, my desires are different, and, most importantly, my level of faith is different. Consequently, there was no better time to show God my faith than now— a time where what I was currently seeing didn't line up with what He said. Writing my book was my way of showing God I still had faith and would not go BACKwards like Orpah.
In 2019, my goal was to not be so focused on the Boaz (the blessings of God) that I couldn't focus on and be willing to become Ruth (who God was calling me to be)!" This last year was about me zoning in on the "Ruth" in me while God worked on the Boaz. Ending 2019 and going into 2020, I am focusing on staying in my field knowing that my Boaz will show up when the time is right, just like it did for Ruth! Besides, contrary to popular discussions, Boaz finding Ruth wasn't just good for Ruth because it was bigger than God connecting two people and more about God connecting purpose. It was just as a blessing for Boaz to have a woman so full of faith and hustle. I would like to take it a step deeper and even say that's probably what attracted Boaz to Ruth. After all, he did say "Who is that?" while Ruth was busy working and focusing on what God called her to do.
Is your faith meeting your hustle? Do you have the heart to keep going even in times of uncertainty? Do you have a ruthless hustle or a ruth-less hustle?
In 2020, Boaz will catch me ON THE MOVE!
Purchase The Seven Year Promise here!
The Seven Year Promise is also available in eBook on Amazon!