Stories of Mental Health in the BibleIsampula

Grief - Naomi

Naomi has just suffered a colossal amount of loss. Her husband and her two sons have just died, leaving her without any support. Her grief so consumes Naomi that she becomes bitter and resentful, completely hopeless for her future. She pushes away her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to keep from dragging them both into her misery with her.

Ruth, however, pushes back. She knows what Naomi needs right now is someone to care for and support her, so she promises never to leave Naomi’s side.

If you’ve ever experienced grief, you may have slipped into isolation, just like Naomi. But leaving yourself alone with such deep feelings is never a good idea. Just like Ruth’s friendship helped Naomi move forward from her grief, there may be someone God’s placed in your life that can help you journey through yours.