Your story isn't over

"'Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter." Ruth 1:20 NIV

On February 12, UPI posted an article titled, "Runner takes on Canadian half marathon while wearing 90 T-shirts." David Eliuk ran Sunday's Hypothermic Half Marathon in Edmonton while wearing 90 T-shirts in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record of 76 shirts, which was set by British runner David Smith in 2019."It hurt," Eliuk told Global News after the race. "It feels great to be done. I had an amazing team behind me." Eliuk said he trained for five months before the attempt, but still hit some unforeseen difficulties from the weight and constriction of his wardrobe. "I had a lot of issues with constriction on my arms in the first lap and the crew was able to help me get through that," Eliuk said. Eliuk said evidence from his attempt is being submitted to Guinness World Records for official recognition. "There were a lot of great stories that came out of yesterday's race and mine was only one of them," Eliuk said in an Instagram post. 

And you know, when it comes to great stories that involve hurt and unforeseen difficulties, you could say that the story of Naomi certainly fits into the category. Naomi experienced a great famine which forced her family to relocate and then soon afterwards experienced the death of her husband and two sons. Naomi lost all hope and thought her story was over, even asking for her name to be changed from Namoi (which means sweet, pleasant) to Mara (which means bitter) "because," she said, "the Almighty has made my life very bitter." But her story was far from over. Naomi’s bitterness was soon turned to joy. In the end, she gained Boaz as a son-in-law who would provide for both her and for Ruth. She also became a grandmother to Ruth’s son, Obed who was the father of Jesse who was the father of David. Talk about a happy ending!

So if you're experiencing some hurt or unforeseen difficulties in your life that might have you feeling a sense of despair today, look up my friend. Your story isn't over. The Bible tells us that all things work for the good for those who love Him. They did for Naomi and they will for You too. Smile. Trust Him. And then watch how your story ends. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that You can take our greatest source of bitterness and work it out to be our greatest source of joy. Lord help us to trust in You, especially when things seem hopeless. Help us to remember that when we place our trust in You, You will write our stories better than we ever could. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!