"So they both went until they came to Bethlehem.  And when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, 'Is this Naomi?'  She said to them, 'Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.  I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.   Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?'  So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab.  And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest."

There is something comforting about coming home when you feel empty.

This is how Naomi felt and this is where Naomi went.  She had lost so much and now she was going to familiar land to be comforted.  But she refused comfort.  She no longer wished to be called Naomi - now Mara.  Mara meant that she was troubled, and she wanted her name to reflect everything about her feelings.

Why do we turn down comfort when we need it most?  Is it that we believe we should be able to take care of ourselves?

The Lover will always receive us when we go home.  When we need comfort, He is there.  When we need arms to fall into, His arms are open.  The example we see in Ruth is one of total surrender.  She may not be ready to be healed yet, but she gives up her will in order to be at the place where comfort is.

The Lover, Christ, waits for you as well.