Throughout the study of Ruth I have marveled at the words and actions of both Ruth and Boaz.  Here’s what I have observed about Ruth:

• She not only confessed her loyalty to Naomi back in Moab, she put feet to her promise and followed her to Bethlehem
• She took the initiative to find a field where she could glean to provide food for the two of them.
• She worked diligently through two harvest seasons.
• She built a reputation in Bethlehem of being a woman of noble character, not an easy thing for a Moabitess in Israel.
• She trusted and took Naomi’s advice to go to the threshing floor and ask Boaz for his redemption, not just for her sake but for her dead husband and the family name.

Now consider Boaz.  His character shines from the moment we met him.

• He was a man of power and position in his community, yet he exercised it with kindness and care to those working in his field.
• He showed unusual kindness to a foreign outcast and to a bitter widow.
• He provided for Ruth from their first encounter.
• He accepted his responsibility as kindsman redeemer.
• He followed through on his word.

What I see in both Ruth and Boaz are integrity, industry, kindness, truthfulness, commitment, loyalty. 

It causes me to ponder:  Virtues.  Character.  Who I am when no one is looking.

Character-training.com describes it like this, “the stable and distinctive qualities built into an individual’s life which determine his or her response regardless of circumstances.”

Ruth and Boaz did the right thing simply because it was right to do the right thing.

No wonder their story is recorded for us and preserved in the Holy Bible.  Their lives are examples for all of us (1 Corinthians 10:11) . 

Whether we realize it or not, we make lots of decisions throughout each day, each of them guided by our character. 

Look in the mirror of your soul as I look at mine.  Who are we when no one is looking?  As we stand at our points of daily decisions, perhaps we will move forward more easily by just deciding to do the right thing. 

Enough said.