I Heard About You

But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before.” Ruth 2:11-12

When I first met my wife, she was – and still is – the most beautiful woman I’d ever met. I’m not necessarily recommending love at first sight, but it just was. I simply knew that she was the woman I was going to marry (it took seven years for her to come to the same conclusion). I was not, however, very confident or skilled when it came to talking to women. My need to meet her though, overrode my inhibitions. So, I strode right up to her and said, Hi, my name is Scott. Cooly, she turned to me with utmost confidence and responded, I know who you are. I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but it didn’t sound good. It sounded like she’d heard some things and wasn’t impressed.

Our reputation – based on past behavior – often precedes us. That’s the lesson of today’s passage. In it, Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, both widowed, moved back to Naomi’s hometown. Ruth was a stranger to these parts, but quickly ran into Boaz, whom she’d later marry. During their first conversation, Boaz let Ruth know how highly he thought of her because of what he’d already heard. All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me . . . Unbeknownst to Ruth, her past behavior caught up to her in a good way as people whispered to each other about her faithfulness and loyalty.

What do others whisper about us? I can only imagine what people once said about me as my addiction came to light and my name was in the paper. He stole drugs. My past behavior caught up to me as everyone’s opinion of me was reshaped, based on my actions. There certainly are times when others speak unfairly about us, but for the most part, others know us by our past behavior. So, what do they say about us when we’re not present?

This isn’t just a personal question. As Christians, we are Christ’s representatives on Earth. If we call ourselves Christians but are prideful, condescending, immoral, or unkind, that reflects not only on us, but on Christ as well. Hypocrisy has never drawn anyone to faith. So, when our name comes up in our absence, how do others speak of us? Others know us by our past behavior and whether we like it or not, that may be one of the best measurements of our faith and character.