Ten years had passed since Naomi left Bethlehem. Three bereavements had taken their toll and when she arrived home with Ruth, her friends barely recognised her. The first thing they would say would be, “How’s Elimelech?”

“Oh, he died shortly after we arrived in Moab.”

“Oh, Naomi, we are so sorry. You were left with the two boys… How are they doing?”

“Both of them died too.”

No wonder the whole town was stirred. In Naomi’s response, we will gather three truths for navigating sorrow, as well as a strategy for growing in faith. Here is the first truth.

“Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (1:20). When Naomi began the journey back home, it seemed that she was doing well. But in Bethlehem, she was hit by a new wave of sorrow. This was where Elimelech had courted her. This was where the boys had been born. Memories flooded back and she was overwhelmed with sorrow.

Everyone who endures trauma or loss knows what this is like. You think you have got through the crisis, and then something triggers a new wave of sorrow. To your surprise, your loss feels even more painful than before. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Waves of sorrow will come and go in the wake of shock, trauma, and loss.

Is there a sorrow or loss you are dealing with today? What comfort do you find in the experiences of Naomi?