Wave Battered and Faith-Filled Naomi

Death, like ocean waves, surrounded me, and I was almost swallowed by its flooding waters.

2^nd Samuel 22:6

I have heard it said that trouble comes in threes. I know it's just an old wife's tale, but oddly enough it happens from time-to-time. It's happened to me. How about you?

The first time it happened I was a freshman in college.

The troubles started when my parents divorced and sold our home. A couple months later I was involved in a rollover car accident that completely totaled my car. Then three months later, after a constant struggle with neurological issues, I discovered that I had broken my neck in the accident. Surgery, a month-long hospital stay and six months in a metal body/neck brace followed.

Fragile and unable to care for myself, I was released into the care of my precious Grandma and Grandpa O who lovingly nurtured and prayed me back on my feet.

The next time it happened I was married, with two small sons, and smack dab in the middle of a move.

Moving is just plain stressful no matter how excited you are to start a new life in a new neighborhood.

Then came a phone call in the middle of the night. My sister had just been admitted into the hospital with a brain tumor. Packing ended abruptly. I was needed seventy-five miles away to care for my sister and brother-in-law's children as she underwent surgery.

Moving day loomed large, but my world had come to a screeching halt.

That is when my friends stepped in. They packed, they cleaned, they wallpapered our new kitchen, hung curtains, moved us in and brought meals.

Then the third wave hit. Another phone call. Another diagnoses of cancer. Only this time it was my hubbyʼs dad. Five months of hospital visits ensued. Then a gathering at a graveside.

I didn't rebound as quickly this time round. Darkness overshadowed light. Grief like sea billows rolled. I just couldn't get my spiritual equilibrium back.

Friends noticed the gray cloud hanging heavy over my heart and gathered round about me. Calls were made. Prayers were offered. Loving arms were extended. Doctor appointments made. And my spiritual equilibrium eventually restored.

I suppose thatʼs why I love the book of Ruth so much. Itʼs the story of two women. Two women who were precious to God. Two women just like