19 June 2026
Naomi finally arrived in Bethlehem. The town buzzed with excitement. The women looked at her and asked, “Can this be Naomi?” (Ruth 1:19). The years of grief had changed her. Loss had etched itself deeply into her life. Mark Penrith describes her as “a gaunt, weathered widow who looks like she has survived an execution.” Naomi’s pain was real. Her suffering was not imaginary. Yet her response reveals how grief can sometimes cloud our vision.
When the women welcomed her, Naomi replied, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has made me very bitter” (Ruth 1:20). Mark notes, “Naomi means Pleasant. Mara means Bitter. She wants a name to match her bleeding soul.” She continued, “I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty” (Ruth 1:21). Naomi felt abandoned. She believed God had stripped everything from her life. In her mind, she stood before the people of Bethlehem with nothing left.
Yet there was a problem. Naomi was not standing alone. Ruth was right beside her. Mark highlights the tragedy by saying Naomi was “ignoring the living monument to covenant loyalty standing next to her.” Then he adds, “Ruth is right there. Despair has made Naomi functionally blind.” The woman who claimed to be empty had a faithful companion walking beside her every step of the journey. God’s provision stood in plain sight, but bitterness prevented Naomi from seeing it.
This remains one of bitterness’ greatest dangers. Mark warns, “Bitterness corrupts from the inside out.” It “distorts your memories of the past and completely blinds you to the gifts of the present.” When disappointment settles into our hearts, we can become consumed with what God has taken away. We replay old wounds. We revisit old sorrows. We focus on what is missing and overlook the countless evidences of God’s grace surrounding us each day.
Perhaps that is where you find yourself today. A difficult season has narrowed your vision. A disappointment has captured your attention. If so, spend ten minutes listing the blessings God has placed in your life right now. Include people, opportunities, provisions, and spiritual blessings. Thank Him for each one. Before bedtime, ask your children to name one thing they are thankful to God for today. Gratitude helps train our eyes to see the goodness of God that bitterness often obscures.
Discussion Question: What blessings might bitterness or discouragement be preventing you from seeing clearly?
Prayer: Father, guard my heart from bitterness. Open my eyes to Your goodness and help me recognise the gifts of Your grace that surround me each day. Amen.