I was listening to a clip of Joel Olstein on Instagram (no, I won’t write about that debate, and no I don’t read a lot of his stuff, but he makes a few good points.) anyway, what he said struck a nerve. He said, “kiss and let go”, he then read from the book of Ruth and said Naomi kissed and let her one daughter in-law Orpah go with a kiss. It was at that part that got me thinking.
If you aren’t familiar with this story, it is from the Bible. Infact it’s just a short book about two women, one a Monther-in-law, Naomi the other Ruth a kind daughter-in-law who faced hardships together.
All though this book/story is great and so much to learn from it was the part that Joel Olstein said about kissing her daughter in-law goodbye, as in wishing her well. No hard feelings. He spoke how Orpah was free, released from the need to fallow Naomi to her homeland.
Ruth left her homeland and followed her mother-in-law to a new land and that is a noble thing to do, and I have always admired her strength to do that, but I always overlooked the big Leason that Orpah showed us, that as noble and wonderful as Ruth’s gesture was it wasn’t for her, it wasn’t her path.
How many of us know when it is ready to move on? Know that even if it seems like the best thing to do, we shouldn’t do it because it’s not for us?
Do you struggle with this like I do at times? It may be something as noble as what Ruth did, like taking care of people, the dream job or opportunities that you’ve been dreaming about, and they are in reach but there is something deep down that is saying as amazing as it is it’s not for you.
Maybe we quiet or stifle that voice because we don’t have people kissing us goodbye instead, we have the pressure from them to “do the right thing” so we quiet that voice and just keep doing what looks perfect for us by their standards.
But it’s time to break free from the pressure and start listening to that voice. I believe God uses that voice to guide us on the path that is just perfect for us.
We all have our own unique dreams, desires, and passions. God put them there, he knows what is best for us. And it’s up to us to pursue them fearlessly, even if it means going against what looks like the perfect opportunity.
We may not have people in our life that kiss us goodbye wishing us well but it’s up to us to move on to what is best for us and rest in the knowledge that if we don’t have people to wish us well, we have our Heavenly Father who does.
Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
