Verse from Ruth

“拿俄米对她们说：“不要叫我拿俄米，叫我玛拉吧，因为全能者使我吃尽了苦头。”

‭‭路得记‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭

““Don’t call me Naomi, ” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.”

‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭

The new name Naomi gave herself didn’t stick, however, because those devastating losses were not the end of her story. In the midst of her sorrow, God had blessed her with a loving daughter-in-law, Ruth, who eventually remarried and had a son, creating a family for Naomi again. 

Although we might sometimes be tempted to give ourselves bitter nicknames, like “failure” or “unloved,” based on difficulties we’ve experienced or mistakes we’ve made, those names are not the end of our stories. We can replace those labels with the name God has given each of us, “loved one” (Romans 9:25), and look for the ways He’s providing for us in even the most challenging of times.