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  • Social Capital

    Posted on August 3rd, 2012 rhonda No comments

    “. . . and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.”

    Ruth 1:5

    Someone told me that when we read the Bible, there are natural and spiritual things going on.  If I read a passage of the Bible, and it seems to be all about the physical – look for the spiritual meaning.  If I read a passage that seems to be all about the spiritual – look for the natural stuff going on.

    Even though God is not mentioned in the book of Ruth, every pastor has taught me to read the book with the thought in mind that God is at work.  God orchestrated the events in the lives of Ruth and Naomi so that both of them were ultimately taken care of.  That’s the spiritual message.

    In the natural, I see people leaning on one another in times of need.  There was a famine and death.  Ruth starts out with Naomi & her two daughters-in-law.  The husbands of all three died, leaving them destitute.  These circumstances are not unfamiliar today.  There’s a worldwide recession (a.k.a., famine) going on.  A lot of people are out of work.  Some people are widowed.  What do you do when you don’t have any money?

    Money is capital.  When you don’t have money, that’s when social capital has to kick in.  Social capital (my phrase of wisdom for today) is the fancy phrase for the trusted friends and family that we can turn to in times of famine.  Even though she’s not mentioned after the first chapter, it’s a blessing that Orpah was able to return to Moab to have her family take care of her.  It’s a blessing that Ruth and Naomi were able to return to Bethlehem.  There are a lot of people today who cannot go home.  They have burned their bridges with their friends, with their siblings, and even with their own parents.

    Years ago, I attended a wedding at which a large portion of Ruth, chapter 1, was read.  The pastor explained that he read such a bleak passage during a wedding ceremony because the relationship between Ruth & Naomi was a beautiful picture of two people pledging themselves to one another, through thick and thin.

    Oftentimes, social capital is more important than money; but it is okay to save money, too.  There was a famine during Joseph’s day.  God alerted him to the famine and told him how to prepare for it so that he, and many others, would be saved.  (Genesis 41:28-39)  I think women especially should learn how to handle their money and save for the future.  Women live longer than men, and many women will be left poor when their husband’s die.  Also, many Christian women are left financially unstable after a divorce.  There’s nothing wrong with taking a financial literacy class to learn the basics.  (www.operationhope.org) The problem comes in when we depend on our own plans, rather than God.  Plan and wait for God.

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    The purpose of If I Knew Then What I Know Now is to share some insights that I wish someone had told me about when I was younger.  There’s a fuller explanation on my first post, written on May 14, 2012.

     

     

    2 responses to “Social Capital” RSS icon

    • I think it’s true that we should all be able to depend on family when times get hard. Too often we burn bridges and later on can’t remember why we burned it in the first place. LIfe’s too short to hold on to grudges…and if we’re trying to be more like Jesus, we have to learn forgiveness. And honestly, while you’re holding the grudge, the other person is moving on with their life, not even thinking about you.

    • Thank for reminding me the value of “Social Capital”. During difficult time, family relation shines.


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