Taken from a sermon by Bryant Wright, Founder, RFTH

It Finally Happens!

“Boaz replied, ‘I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.’”
Ruth 2:11-12

Love at first sight often conjures images of instantaneous attraction and profound emotional connection.

While typically viewed through a romantic lens, this idea can also provide a deeper understanding of our spiritual engagements and how we perceive God’s presence in our lives.

I’ll never forget the time that I first laid eyes on Anne. We were at a college fellowship. She had another date. I was there with a fraternity brother of mine, and we had decided to go there to scope out the ‘honeys’ – that was really our intention.  But I saw her there. and I thought to myself, “I want to meet her.” I went over and said, “Hello.” Her date wasn’t impressed, nor was she. Then I called her on Wednesday night, and she already had a date for the weekend! So, I called her on Monday night and got a date with her. I knew there was something different from that first look at Anne. I knew she was the one for me.

In the biblical narrative of Ruth, we encounter a variant of ‘love at first sight’ that transcends traditional romantic themes and delves into the recognition of virtue and divine providence. Ruth, who travels with her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem, finds herself in a foreign land, clinging to a new faith and a precarious future. Her presence in Boaz’s field is not just by chance but by divine placement.

When Boaz first sees Ruth gleaning in his fields, his immediate response is not drawn from romantic love but from recognizing her character. This moment of recognition is a profound reminder of how God sees us—fully and completely, beyond the superficial. Boaz’s response to Ruth is protective and generous, reflecting God’s own care and provision for each of us.

His attraction to Ruth was a bit more noble than my initial attraction to Anne. But thank goodness her godly character became evident as we got to know each other and helped me know she was really the one God had in store for me. The Lord blessed me with a beautiful wife who had a beautiful, godly character.

There’s nothing wrong with initially being attracted to a woman’s beauty, but real love is more than “love at first sight.” Godly character with committed love is the key to a lasting marriage.

This story invites us to understand how God sees and knows us. It challenges the often-isolating feelings of being unseen or misunderstood and replaces them with the assurance that God is intimately aware of our struggles, efforts, and needs.

Just as Boaz provided for Ruth out of respect and kindness, God provides for us, often using others to manifest His love and provision.

DIG DEEPER
Read “Falling in Love” at GotQuestions.org