When I got terribly sick recently, my wife’s commitment to me was tested to the full. She almost spent as much time in the hospital as I did. She did things for me I couldn’t do for myself. When visiting hours were over, she leaned in and kissed me and said, “I just don’t want to lose you.” The commitment of people to one another is one of God’s gifts to humanity. 

One of the inspiring stories of commitment in the Bible is the book of Ruth. During the ancient time of the judges, a Jewish lady named Naomi moved from the little town of Bethlehem to the land of Moab with her husband and two sons, who married Moabite girls. After a while her husband died and then her sons. Her family was reduced to herself and her daughters-in-law. In an act of selflessness, Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to get on with their lives because they were young enough to remarry. One tearfully left, but the other, Ruth, pleaded to stay. She said, “Don’t urge me to leave you” (Ruth 1:16). The two of them returned to Naomi’s homeland because they heard the Lord was coming to the aid of his people there. Naomi coached Ruth on how to find favor with a man named Boaz, who was first in line to marry Ruth. After a unique courtship, Boaz honored his commitment and married her. From them the line of Jesus can be traced.