My wife and I recently found out that she is pregnant. As I sit down to read Ruth 1-4 she is almost 21 weeks along. Pregnancy is a journey, not only for the expectant mother, but also the family and friends that follow us along the way. Our most recent step in the journey was to choose a name. We started with names we like and then dove deeper to discover the meaning behind those names. We want the name to be strong and have meaning spiritually that we can pray over our son as he grows. In the end we settled on Lane. The meaning: “narrow path”. We all know that our lives are filled with choices and have heard it said that the narrow path or the road less traveled is the one that leads to life. This is my prayer for his life as we await his birth and beyond.

The story of Ruth is an interesting one. We find that ultimately Ruth is left with a choice. A choice to leave her mother-in-law to find another husband or remain with her, committed to her family and God. Ruth chapter 1:16-17 gives us Ruth’s choice: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

We can clearly see the easy choice. Leave Naomi and return to her own people and her old ways of life to find another husband. Instead, Ruth decides to take the narrow path and remains committed to her mother-in-law and new family. This choice is not only rewarded with finding a new husband, but that new marriage results in a son that would father the son of future King of Israel-David. We also know that this lineage is directly tied to Jesus, our Lord and Savior. What an incredible outcome and was only accomplished by taking the narrow path. May we all remember that the choices we make have eternal consequences-let us choose the narrow path.