Mother-in-law's

Mother-in-law's.

If you begin a sentence today with "My mother-in-law", it generally means something not so good or negative.  Am I right?  I will probably even get more hits on my blog today just because of the title alone!  Seriously!

On a more serious note, I want to take a closer look at a specific mother-in-law in the Bible and in my own life.  Most likely we know the story of Naomi and Ruth in the Old Testament.  Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, and their two sons, Mahlon and Killion, decided to move to Moab because Israel was in a time of famine.   Naomi's husband died and her sons decided to marry Moabite women, one being Ruth and the other Orpah.  Tragedy strikes again and both of Naomi's sons die.  After their time of mourning, Ruth tells the women to go back to their homes and remarry because she wasn't going to be able to offer them any more sons or the finances to care for them.  Very honorable on her part because in those days being a widow was a horrible thing.

Ruth, however, chose to stick with Naomi.  I love how she puts it in Ruth 1:16-18 "But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or turn back from you.  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.'  When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her."

The story goes on and we know that Boaz steps up to be a kinsman-redeemer to Ruth and takes her in to be his wife.  Ruth then becomes the great grandmother of King David and is in the direct lineage of Christ.

Think about this for a second.  If you are married, did you fall in love with your spouse because of your in-laws?  Did you look at your spouse and say, "Yes!  I am going to marry you because then I will have the best in-laws in the world!"  Ok, calm down.  I am just joking.  But seriously.  I am going to assume that most of us didn't say anything like that.  Our focus was on our spouse.  Not on their parents.

I believe that when we say "I do" at the altar we not only gain a husband, but another family.  I believe that when we take a vow of marriage to love and cherish our spouse that we are also making a vow to our spouses' family.  Regardless of how they act or how they treat us.  Regardless of the circumstances that arise.  Regardless of the ANYthing!  Love!

I am INCREDIBLY blessed to have gained such an amazing family when I married Michael.  My mother and father-in-law are fabulous people along with my sisters and brother-in-laws.  I couldn't have asked for anything better and God knew just what I needed.  He has blessed me far beyond what I could think or imagine.  I am proud to be a Houck and even though they are my in-laws, they are my family.  I may refer to them as Michael's side, but they are my family just as much as his.

My prayer is that I will be devoted to them as Ruth was to Naomi.  That I would love them despite the circumstances that may arise or the hardships.  That I would love them through all the fun times.  The times of laughter and joy, but also in sorrow and weeping.  God forbid anything happen to Michael, they would still be my family for life and I would stick with them and they, me.

Thank you Keely and David for loving me unconditionally and accepting me for who I am.  Thank you for your continuous love and support for Michael and I in all our endeavors.  Thank you for caring for and providing for us. Thank you Ryan and Kalese for loving and accepting us.  Thank you for sharing in our joys and in our sorrows.  Thank you Kalen and Lindsey for being the hands and feet of Jesus and for sharing Him with us daily.  Thank you to all extended family for all that you give us and for all that you do.  We love you and are very thankful for you.

I want to leave a legacy like that of Ruth.  I want to be known as a lover of Jesus!  But I don't want to stop there.  I want my family, from my parents and my siblings, my church family, and all of my friends to know that I love them.  I want to serve them.  I want to go the extra mile to do whatever it is God called me to do. I want to passionately love like they have never been loved before.  I want to serve like they have never been served before.  I want to leave with that kind of legacy.

Lord, you know my heart.  You know my desires.  You know that it is not possible without daily seeking You first.  I pray that You would lead me and guide me.  Not only when it's easy to love and serve, but when it's hard and uncomfortable.  Father thank you for blessing me with such an amazing family.  Thank you for allowing me to see them like You do.  Continue to teach me how to pray for them, love on them, and serve them.  May my legacy be that others saw You through me and that I was a servant who became Your hands and feet.  Amen.