The 15 Minute Challenge

I have a confession to make...

Throughout the years, when visiting a particularly difficult person in my life, I'd find myself thinking, "You can do this.  Just put your game face on."  I'd then proceed to literally count down the hours until the visit was over.  After leaving, I'd say to myself, "You could have won an academy award for your performance!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boaz answered her, “Everything you have done for your mother-in-law

 since your husband’s death has been fully reported to me: how you left

 your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came

 to a people you didn’t previously know. May the Lord reward you for 

what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God 

of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

Ruth 2:11-12

The widow Naomi had two sons who married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth.  About ten years later both of her sons died leaving Ruth and Orpah widowed.  Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to return to their own mother's houses.  Orpah reluctantly did as Naomi requested, but Ruth chose to go with her mother-in-law, selflessly leaving behind her family and what was familiar.

"Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following 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 I will be buried. Thus

 may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.” 

Ruth 1:16-17

I have always loved the story of Ruth.  Her selfless love and servant's heart are character traits I'd like to emulate.  But sadly, as I pointed out earlier, selfishness too often rules my actions.

Throughout the story of Ruth, she consistently looks to the welfare of Naomi in humble submission.  

In one such instance, Ruth asks her mother-in-law if it is okay to go into the fields to glean the leftover grain.  {These were the very fields that belonged to Boaz who would ultimately redeem Ruth.}

 Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, “Will you let me go into the fields and 

gather fallen grain behind someone who allows me to?”

Ruth 2:2

When Naomi realized that the fields belonged to Boaz, their kinsman, she instructed Ruth specifically in order to seek security for her.  Ruth obeyed.

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?  Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. It shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.”  She said to her, “All that you say I will do.”

Ruth 3:1-5

Ruth's most incredible act of love and selflessness was presenting her own son to her mother-in-law.

 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.  Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel.  May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse.  The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth 4:13-17

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If Ruth were to enter the scene I confessed to earlier, her thoughts, attitude and response would be QUITE different.

Ruth would try to understand the deeper meaning behind why the person behaves in a hardened manner; looking to see that person through the eyes of Christ, and love that person as Christ would.

Ruth would have an attitude of respect and unconditional love for the person, no matter their difficult nature.

Ruth would be genuine and intentional during her visit, looking to bless and serve - not merely endure...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has difficult people in their life...

But what if, when we are in those situations, we purposed to...

"do the right thing for the next 15 minutes; have the right response for the next 15 minutes."

{Anna Duggar quote}

In my situation, instead of thinking "I have to put my game face on", I would be intentional and genuine with a positive attitude.  Instead of counting down the hours until I was leaving, I would be mindful of how I spent every 15 minutes, ensuring that I took every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and that every word and action showed the love of Christ.  And finally, after leaving the visit, my only thought would be, "Did I bring glory to God?"

I am happy to say that during a most recent visit, when I chose to do the right thing for the next 15 minutes and have the right response for the next 15 minutes,  I saw a change in the person from hardness to softness.  But more importantly, I changed...  In humility, I saw this person as someone who just needs to be loved and to have someone listen to them.   It then became important to me to do the right thing for them!  

I don't know if I will ever be a Ruth, but I feel like the Lord is using this situation in my life to bring her out in me...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How about you?  Is there a person or situation in your life where doing the right thing for the next 15 minutes or having the right response for the next 15 minutes would help you cultivate an attitude like Ruth's.

I promise you that if you take up this fifteen minute challenge, the Lord will bless you abundantly.  You will develop a Christ-like habit of communion with the Father throughout the day; you will testify to the love of the Father to all you come in contact with; and you will bring Glory to God.

Father, please help me to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, every minute of every day.  Lord give me wisdom to know the right thing to do and the right response to have in my day to day interactions that will allow the light of Christ to shine brightly through me.   Thank you Lord that when I seek you, I will find you.  You are my ever present help and guide.  

In the wonderful name of Jesus, Amen

You might find me on these link-ups:
Grace & Truth Link-up, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Growing in Grace Link-up, 3DLessonsLif4e, Inspire Me Monday Titus 2 Tuesday, A Wise Women Builds Her Home, A Look at the Book,  Sunday Stillness, The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Soul Survival,  Give Me Grace, A Little R&R, Testimony Tuesday, Women with Intention Wednesdays, Still Saturday, Good Morning Mondays, Tell His Story, Faith & Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays, Be Salty, Monday's Musings, The Art of Home-Making Monday, Tuesday Talk, Waiting on Wednesday, Reflect His Love and Glory  Words of Comfort Link-up, Wholehearted Wednesdays. Tell it to Me Tuesday, Faithful at Home Fridays, Faith 'N Friends, TGI Saturdays, Sitting Among Friends Encourage Me Monday Words with Winter Essential Fridays, So Much at Home Family, Friendship & Faith,  House to Home Intentional Tuesday ,Wonderful Wednesday , Monday of Many Blessings, Literacy Musings Mondays,Imparting Grace, SHINE Blog Hop Dance with Jesus, Give Me Grace, Booknificent Thursdays UNITE Cozy Reading Spot, Making Your Home Sing Monday Social Butterfly Sundays Let Us Grow