This morning - as we are thinking about “motherhood” - I invite you to turn with me to Ruth 1:15-22. In this passage there are two very helpful truths that we want focus on.

This passage in Ruth is fairly familiar - but - as you’re turning - let me share and refresh our memories with the background picture of what’s happening.

You’ll recall that the book of Ruth is about a family that started off in Judah. There was a man by the name of Elimelech who was living in Bethlehem with his wife - Naomi - and his two sons - Mahlon and Chilion. In those days there was a famine in Judah - so Elimelech moved his whole family to the land of Moab - east of the Dead Sea.

When they got to Moab - Elimelech died and Naomi was left alone with her two boys - Mahlon and Chilion. In time the boys married women from Moab: Orpah and Ruth. 10 years went by and then Mahlon and Chilion died.

So Naomi is left in Moab with Orpah and Ruth - alone in a foreign land - with strange customs and gods - without family except her two daughters-in-law. Trying to decide what to do.

Since the famine in Judah was over - so Naomi decided to return home to Bethlehem. But, before she goes she tells Orpah and Ruth to stay in Moab with their families. Its at that point that we come to Ruth 1 - starting at verse 15:

And she said - that is, Naomi said - “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” - in other words - Orpah took Naomi up on her offer and went back to her family in Moab - But Ruth said, “Entreat me not to leave you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God; where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if even death parts me from you.”

And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has afflicted me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

There are two important truths here that we would like to highlight this Mother’s Day Sunday.

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF LETTING GO

In May of 1997, the San Jose Mercury ran a front page article about Chelsea Clinton choosing to come to Stanford. Remember all that hype? What caught my attention - other than the article about her becoming the newest addition to the Stanford class of 2001 - were the other articles speculating on why she had chosen to come to Stanford.

Quote, “She had about half the Ivy League to pick from, but she wants to come out here. Gee, you think it has anything to do with putting 3,000 miles between herself and her parents? At least this way Hillary won’t be able to pop in with a video camera to take movies of Chelsea in her first dorm room....”

Imagine the first lady saying this to her daughter: “Chelsea, it takes a village to find a boyfriend.”

All parents struggle to let go of their kids. And I think that’s especially hard for mothers. The struggle starts at birth - not just when kids leave for a college dorm room - and it continues for a lifetime.

In verse 15 Naomi says to Ruth: “return after your sister-in-law.” Follow Orpah - leave me - go back to your people. Given Naomi’s position that must have been a very tough thing to say.

Naomi is alone - a widow with no sons. In the society of her day that meant that she had very few options to support herself. She was below the bottom rung of the ladder looking up.

When she got back to Bethlehem - all of her friends who had watched her and Elimelech and their sons leave - in wealth and prosperity - they all said, “Is this Naomi?” “What happened?”

Naomi says, “Call me Mara” - literally “bitter” - “Because I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty” - afflicted - my life is a disaster.

Certainly a daughter-in-law could have eased her pain. Could have been a companion and a helper in life. Many times parents look at their children as companions and helpers in their old age.

Karen and I pray over our boys. We desire God’s best for them. We pray for who they’ll marry - where they’ll go to school - what their vocation will be - who their friends will be - we pray for their salvation - we pray that they will follow after God’s will for their lives.

We do our best to train them and raise them. We dream and wonder about their future. But, we don’t know what God’s plan will be for our children. Ultimately they must follow God’s plan for their life. And we need to release them into His care - regardless of what that might cost us - or them.

To let go of our kids involves a tremendous trust in God. But, it is absolutely vital that we let go. The greatest disaster of not letting go is that our children are not freed to be who God has called them to be.

And that brings us to our second truth. First, “The Importance of Letting Go,” and the second:

2. GOD’S GIVING OF USEFUL SIGNIFICANCE TO EACH OF US

Ruth 1:22 says that Naomi returned to Bethlehem, “and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her.” It would be easy to miss this if we weren’t looking for it - “Ruth the Moabitess” - Ruth from the land of Moab.

The Moabites were the decendants of the oldest of Lot’s two surviving daughters. After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - Lot’s two daughters got their father Lot drunk - two nights in a row - so they could have children by him. From one daughter came the Moabites and from the other the Ammonites.

That’s the kind of family history that this “odar” Ruth had in her family. A family history recorded in the pages of scripture for every one to read. Not very pretty.

But, God uses us - gives us usefulness and significance - in spite of ourselves and our circumstances. Turn with me to Matthew chapter one. We want to see how God uses Ruth - who was let go by Naomi - to do what God had for her to do.

As you’re turning, let me set the scene for you. When Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem - Ruth began to glean in the field of a man named Boaz.

After the barley harvesters finished picking in the fields - Ruth would go out each day and collect the barley that had fallen on the ground. From this left over barley she and Naomi would have enough to eat.

One day - while she was gleaning - Boaz saw her - fell head over heals in love with her - and married her. Later they had a son named Obed.

Matthew 1:5 - the family history - the genealogy - of Jesus Christ: “And to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth; and to Obed, Jesse; and to Jesse was born David the king.”

30 generations before Jesus is born - in Jesus’ family history - is Ruth - the great - great - great - many times over - grandmother of Jesus.

That’s pretty good for a Moabite woman.

And if we were to read all of this family history in Matthew 1 - we’d see that besides Ruth - there are 4 other women in this genealogy: Tamar - who acted like a prostitute - seduced her father Judah - and became the mother of Perez and Zerah. Rahab - who was a prostitute and ran brothel. Bathsheba - who was an adulterous. And Mary - pregnant out of wedlock - who gave birth to Jesus under very suspicious circumstances.

Which is to say that God looks at us and our circumstances a lot different than we do. Many times - as parents - as mothers - we wonder if we’re doing the right thing. Are we really “good” parents - effective in raising our children to be Godly - to be able to handle all of what they’ll experience in life. So many times we doubt ourselves and wonder if we’re adequate for the task. We look at our children and wonder what the future will be.

When we look at Naomi and Ruth - or the genealogy of Jesus - we’re reminded that our adequacy comes from God. He uses us despite ourselves. He makes us useful for the task of parenting - or any other task.

God love our children even beyond the most we are able to love them. He continues to work in their lives even when we don’t see it. What He calls us to is faithfulness and trust. The importance of letting go of our children is to put them into His hands and realize that God will work in us and through us.