“But Ruth replied [to Naomi], ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to 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'”(Ruth 1:16-17).

In-laws suffer a lot of flack in marriage jokes and in movies.  Sure, sometimes in-laws can be overwhelming because they operate with different systems of traditions and communications.  Other times, in-laws can be hurtful because they do not treat you with love and respect.  But in-laws can be such a blessing too! God can bless you through your in-laws in ways that He didn’t through your own parents because they have an entirely different history and perspective.

Regardless of how you feel about your in-laws, when you are married, they are now your family and deserve to be honored as such.  Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, have clearly done life together.  They suffered great loss together, and because of Ruth’s loyalty, they embarked on an adventure together.  Their relationship seems cordial and close, but in truth, we don’t know much about whether they liked each other.  What we do know is that if Ruth’s husband were alive, he would have cared for his mother in her widowhood, so that is what Ruth did.

Think about ways you can develop a relationship with your in-laws.  How can you honor them (either in conjunction with or in spite of how you feel about them)?  They are your family too.

Lord, Divine Orchestrator, You knew who my in-laws would be before I ever met them.  You are a redemptive God, and I pray that You would use my in-laws for good in my life and marriage, as well as me for good in theirs.  Heal wounds that need healing and continue to open opportunities for me to love and respect them.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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