Strength and Faith: Naomi and Ruth We begin our 12 Powers series with two powers, strength and faith. In Charles Fillmore s original works he associated each faculty with a disciple. He begins with faith and strength, associating them with the two brothers called together, Simon Peter and Andrew. He says Andrew is Greek for strong man and Simon Peter is who Jesus says he will build his church upon. So for this summer, I have chosen two connected women to represent Strength and Faith: Naomi and Ruth. We find their story in the book of Ruth in the Old Testament. The accounts are not factual and not intended to be if you read the very obvious meaning of the names of Naomi s sons; Mahlon, meaning sickness and Chillon, meaning wasting. The writings are dated around the 5 th century BCE, the Persian period during which intermarriage between Jews and their neighbors in exile was a great controversy. The addition of the genealogy linking Ruth to David was likely an addition of the Priestly writers of the Old Testament. New Testament writers took this further linking David and thus Ruth to the lineage of Jesus. Naomi s husband took his family to Moab seeking food during a famine in Isreal. Naomi kept their customs but the two sons married Moab women. The son s and husband died, leaving Naomi and the daughters-in law alone. Naomi encourages her daughters to stay in Moab where they have family and a chance to marry and survive. But Ruth insists on traveling to Bethlehem with Naomi. They make it back at harvest season. Bethlehem represents substance. Naomi guides Ruth to the field of Boaz, a distant relative of her husband s family. Now Boaz takes a liking to Ruth but another man also wants to claim her. Boaz says he must take both, Ruth and Naomi in order to make the claim. The other guy backs away and Boaz is a good husband to Ruth and together they provide a good life for Naomi and their son Obed. One of the things I want to look at this summer is the difference between the meanings and interpretation of the spiritual faculties as we understand in expression on the material plane and the faculty as a spiritual expression. I ll admit, it can be confusing and it feels like there are some overlaps in the spiritual expression. 1
Strength we think of as physical strength, endurance and physical vitality. Naomi seems to demonstrate that if we consider what it would have taken for a single, mature woman to consider the trek, alone, from Moab back to Bethlehem. The trip is 30 to 60 miles, depending on the route. The terrain is rugged and estimated to take from 7 to 10 days on foot. There are no rest stops, no Motel 6 with the light on for you. A woman alone faced many dangers. Yet Naomi undertook this journey, initially believing she d go alone. But spiritual strength is not about physical strength. Unity co-founder, Charles Fillmore says Be steadfast, strong, and steady in thought, and you will establish strength in mind and in body. Never let the thought of weakness enter your consciousness, but always ignore the suggestion and affirm yourself to be a tower of strength, within and without. Spiritual strength is a faculty of steadfastness and perhaps an element of increasing our ability to manifest our spiritual faculties in overcoming appearances of material limitations. Strength, like all the faculties arises from Source, from the Divine, and by keeping our thoughts and focus here, we allow our faculties to have greater expression. Consider the spiritual strength it took for Naomi to remain steadfast in her beliefs and spiritual practice in a land hostile to Israel. Far from home and her familiar support network, she raised her family and inspired her daughters-in-law with her devotion to her spiritual beliefs. She had to have been looked upon as strange by her neighbors with their pagan idols. Perhaps she was shunned by some. Yet she remained steadfast in her devotion to God even when appearances said all had been taken from her: her sons and her husband, and with them, her ability to claim land or possessions. So what of Faith and Ruth? Dictionaries define faith as a system of religious beliefs or a strong belief not resting on proof or evidence. On a material level we tend to think of faith as tied to a system of beliefs, making it a product of intellect. Our faith is learned, whether it is the faith of our parents or a faith we have studied and claimed as an adult. Yet the book of Hebrews says, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. That doesn t seem to be something you can learn or even define with the intellect. Charles Fillmore says, Intellectual faith admits doubt, and hope of fulfillment in the future; spiritual faith includes unfailing assurance and immediate response. 2
These two attitudes of faith are often observed acting and reacting upon each other. Peter started to walk on the water in spiritual faith, but when he saw the effects of the wind he was afraid, and began to sink. Fillmore goes on to say, There is but one real faith; the avenue of expression determines the character and power of faith. Trust is a cheaper brand of faith, but trust is better than mistrust. As a rule, people who merely trust in the Lord do not understand all the law. If they had understanding they would affirm the presence and power of God until the very substance of Spirit would appear in consciousness--and this is faith established on a rock. Ruth s statement of faith comes as this declaration to Naomi, Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Now keep in mind that prior to marrying Naomi s son Mahlon, Ruth had likely no idea about this God. This was not a faith she was raised with. Intellectually, this was not a wise decision to go to a strange land, where she knew no one and without a husband or male relative, had no assurance she could be provided for. Ruth s faith was an awakening within her of a truth she may have had no context for. Yet when we hear the truth and it resonates with us, we claim it. It can happen in an instant or over a lifetime. So what can we learn from this story? Clearly it is a story, set thousands of years ago in a time and culture different from ours. What do Naomi and Ruth tell us about our own powers of strength and faith? I appreciate this saying: People are like tea bags. You don t know how strong they are till you get them in hot water. Our spiritual strength is unlikely to become apparent until we are challenged. It is true about all of our spiritual faculties. They are like muscles. They are always there but we don t notice them until we start to exercise. Then they may ache from overuse at first. But with use, they grow stronger. Which is the power of increase in the faculty of strength. We don t grow new muscles with exercise but put what we have to greater use. It is easy to remain steadfast to spiritual practice when life is going our way. We make time for prayer and meditation when there is plenty of time. How steadfast are we to spiritual practice when it is unpopular with those around us? How much time do we take for prayer and meditation when life becomes 3
hectic? The irony is demonstrated in the story of Naomi and Ruth. When we have the spiritual strength to stay steadfast in keeping our thoughts focused on the Divine, it actually makes life easier. It smoothes our way; opens new doors; gives us new insights into where we are to go next. Naomi and Ruth made the journey back to Bethlehem. Naomi guides Ruth to Boaz and Boaz becomes the protector of not only Ruth but also Naomi. Spiritual strength is the great overcoming power that allows spiritual principle to manifest our good despite all the laws of man and physical appearances. You have all the spiritual strength you need. You exercise that strength each time to choose to live from your true nature rather than succumb to physical impulse or ego s fear driven guidance. You exercise that strength each time you create a space for prayer and meditation. You exercise that strength each time you claim your spiritual practice despite the words and actions of those around you acting from their fear. Imagine those places in our world right now where it is dangerous to claim a spiritual practice. Do we have the spiritual strength it takes for us to hold steadfast to our spiritual practice in the face of a hectic schedule or a few people making disparaging remarks? We have the strength, we just need to use it. We also have all the faith we need. Faith is being able to reap the harvest in our minds when the first seed is sown. It is seeing the mountain move without knowing how or why. It is not something we must learn, it is something we must practice. It is about focusing on the Divine, not on the diorama going on around us. It is seeking the kingdom, knowing God s kingdom is available to us. Faith is not reserved for a few. It does not have to look the way we expect it to because faith is a personal relationship between each one of us and the Divine. Faith is not a faculty some people are missing although it may be a faculty some people have mis-focused. If I attempt to center myself in the outer world and put my faith in the economy or my 401K plan or my career, I have focused my faculty of faith awry. Keeping my focus on uncertainty only produces more uncertainty. My assurance is keeping my thoughts on God and my understanding of the energy and substance God is. This faith focus draws that substance into manifestation in my life. Ruth s demonstration of faith produced all that she needed in the physical world and more. 4
We all have strength and we all have faith. The question is, how are we using those faculties? Is there something we d like to overcome? Exercise your spiritual strength and know you have the overcoming power. Is there something you fear or doubt. Exercise your spiritual faith. Refocus on knowing the One Power and One Presence and cast out the fear and doubt from your mind. Don t worry about how or why or why. 5