A Woman Who Doesn’t Quit by Nicki Koziars

Driving through the city on a sunny afternoon, I watched from the passenger seat as familiar sites rolled by my window…ornate Victorian houses, clanging cable cars, trendy stores, chic cafés, and tiny gardens sandwiched between tall buildings. A few blocks further down, the picturesque scene transformed as we passed liquor stores, empty lots filled with trash, and raggedy people sleeping in doorways. One group leaned against a graffiti-covered wall smoking cigarettes and drinking from bottles tucked inside paper bags. A few kids skipped past them down the sidewalk, their fresh faces providing a sharp contrast to the bleak surroundings.

For most people, scenes like these cause different emotions to bubble to the surface. Some turn their heads, preferring not to engage the conflicting feelings of guilt and compassion that may arise. Others look on wishing they could help, but feel ill- equipped and unsure about how to intervene in a community struggling with such vast problems.

Although I’ve felt those things at different times, that day I was hopeful. I thought of the letters my family receives from a little boy and girl in that neighborhood who we’ve been sponsoring for several years through SF City Impact. I pictured the Christian school they attend that brings the light of Jesus to that struggling neighborhood. The people working there have willing hearts, deep faith, and years of experience that enable them to engage the neighborhood’s practical and spiritual needs. And as you might expect, they have limited resources to fill them.

On Good Friday, members of my women’s Bible study made the drive into that neighborhood to deliver Easter baskets to each child and staff member at SF City Academy. Gathering with these women to fill the baskets has been one of the many highlights of being part of this group. Delivering them to the children and staff members is both humbling and fulfilling. It’s amazing how God uses simple baskets loaded with trinkets and treats to show love, encouragement, and support to adults and children who are often overlooked.

This year, it seems especially poignant to be doing this as we’re wrapping up a study on the book of Ruth. Like some of the families who will be receiving baskets, Ruth struggled with poverty and found herself as an immigrant on the fringes of society. Because of her rural setting, she gleaned in the fields to get food for herself and Naomi. This was God’s provision for the poor described in the Old Testament (see Leviticus 19:9-10 and Deuteronomy 24:19-22).

In modern times and urban settings, the poor don’t have the option to glean fields, but we’re still instructed to offer support using the same principles. The command to give to the needy is a consistent theme throughout the Old and New Testaments. Jesus taught on the importance of giving many times. One of the most memorable is when He described His eventual return:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:31-40, NIV)

When we give to those in need, it’s as if we are giving to Jesus- the kindness we show them is a manifestation of our love for Him. Giving to the needy motivated by love for Jesus also frees us from expecting gratitude in return. Whether it’s acknowledged or not, any act of kindness done for a person in need is the same as doing it for Jesus Himself.

Paul also taught about giving:
^“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19, NIV)

Material wealth is fleeting and uncertain. It’s not a good source of ultimate security. We can rest assured that God provides everything for our enjoyment, not just our needs. True life is not bound up in the accumulation of possessions or material wealth but in sharing what we have with others. Our generosity stores up spiritual treasure for us that is of eternal value.

James also had much to say about this topic:
^“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17, NIV)

Our generosity must be rooted in humility and empathy. We share out of the abundance God has lavished upon us, knowing all our resources were given to us by Him. Generous giving reveals our genuine faith while honoring God and showing others that He is for them.

There are numerous ways to share what the Lord has given you, whether it is donating your financial resources, offering consistent prayer support, or volunteering your time. Will you commit to praying about where God might be calling you to provide consistent support for people in need? The Lord often prompts us to intervene in situations that break our hearts. Where is He drawing your attention right now?

Not sure where to start? Here are a few ministries doing amazing work with people in need who would welcome your involvement through giving, serving, and praying. Click on them to learn more.

San Francisco City Impact
Compassion International
World Vision
International Justice Mission
Samaritan’s Purse

Feel free to suggest other ministries we should consider in the comments below.

Let Matthew West’s song “Do Something” inspire you to action today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I2csO7_pOI

It was printed on the back of a used envelope and pinned to my older brother’s bulletin board. Below the frayed paper where the flap had been torn off, three words were written with a green felt pen: “We Don’t Quit.” My dad’s writing was distinct because he always wrote in all capital letters. I think the note was the follow-up to a conversation he’d had with my brother, who was sixteen or seventeen at the time. I still have no idea what they talked about. The words weren’t meant for me, but they made a lasting impression.

I’ve pictured that frayed envelope with the green words many times in the years that have followed. It provided encouragement to persevere in difficult circumstances, especially during my teens and twenties. I envisioned it while enduring the misery of high school chemistry, the ache of homesickness my first year in college, and the challenge of corralling unruly students when I started teaching high school.

Perseverance is defined as persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. It is to continue steadfastly in a thing and give unremitting care to it. Perseverance is a quality that we respect, but it’s in short supply in our world today. When things get difficult, uncomfortable, or boring, many of us see that as a sign it’s time to move on—whether it’s a job, a relationship, or some other commitment.

Not surprisingly, the Bible has a different perspective and provides some clear insight into the value of perseverance in our spiritual journey:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but wealso glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5, NIV, bold print added for emphasis)

Follow the chain reaction that occurs when we endure suffering instead of circumventing it–we develop perseverance, which builds character. And depth of character enables us to discover hope in unlikely places. “The believer’s hope is not to be equated with unfounded optimism. On the contrary, it is the blessed assurance of our future destiny and is based on God’s love, which is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit and objectively demonstrated to us in the death of Christ.” ¹

Perseverance is at the opposite end of the spectrum from instant gratification. It requires having “a long obedience in the same direction.” Here’s how author Eugene Peterson explains it:

“Perseverance does not mean ‘perfection.’ It means that we keep going. We do not quit when we find that we are not yet mature and there is a long journey still before us…We survive in the way of faith not because we have extraordinary stamina but because God is righteous, because God sticks with us.”²

Over the next few weeks we’ll learn more about perseverance from the Old Testament book of Ruth. We’ll follow the story of two widows, Naomi, a Jewish woman, and Ruth, her Moabite daughter in law. These women lived during the period of Judges, a time of unrest for the Israelites. Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, had taken his family from Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel) to the neighboring country of Moab to escape a famine. Shortly after moving there, Elimelech passed away, leaving his wife and two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, in a foreign land whose inhabitants worshipped idols. Ignoring the Jewish law not to take wives outside their faith, the two brothers married Moabite women and subsequently passed away. Hearing that the famine in Judah had ended, Naomi decided to return to her hometown of Bethlehem ten years later to make a new start with her daughters in law in tow. However, shortly after beginning the journey, Naomi stopped and urged Orpah and Ruth to return to their parents, knowing their prospects in Judah would be bleak:

“At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. ‘Look,’ said Naomi, ‘your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her. But Ruth replied, ‘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 even death separates you and me.’ When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.” (Ruth 1:14-18, NIV)

In the face of tremendous loss, Ruth persevered. She forsook her culture, her religion, and her people and chose to travel to a foreign land with her beloved mother in law. Maybe she saw something in Naomi’s faith that drew her toward the one true God. She might not have known how persevering would affect her character, but something beckoned her forward and gave her hope in the unlikeliest of places. Though the future looked anything but bright, Ruth didn’t quit. In the weeks ahead, we’ll follow her story, witness the power of perseverance, and be inspired by her example.

Ruth’s promise to Naomi reveals amazing love and devotion. For a musical rendition of it, listen and enjoy Chris Tomlin’s song, “I Will Follow.”

1. NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 2008, page 1745.

2. Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (Revised and Expanded Edition), Intervarsity Press, 1980, 2000, pages 131 & 133.

Inspired by A Woman Who Doesn’t Quitby Nicki Koziars, Lifeway Press, 2016.

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