“Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her (Ruth), ‘My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?
Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.’
And she said to her, ‘All that you say to me I will do.’ So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. And he said, ‘Who are you?’ So she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.’
Then he said, ‘Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.’” Ruth 3:1-10
It does not look like the basic tips regarding how to find a date has changed in the past couple thousand years. Good hygiene, wearing your best, and perhaps some cologne or perfume seems to be basics, and focus of many magazine and commercials. While there is certainly nothing with regular bathing and looking nice in public, many of the popular beauty or dating advice tends to fall sort. While many sources of advice may deal with behavioral changes for appearances very few seem concerned with the overall character.
Although Ruth followed all of Naomi advice regarding appearances and actions, there is one thing she had that you cannot buy from any shop or gain from reading a blog, and that was her character. Also, it is worthwhile to notice that although Ruth followed her mother in-law’s great advice regarding her looks Boaz didn’t say I will grant your request because you are clean, smell lovely, and look gorgeous in that robe. He said “And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.”
If someone is motivated by outward appearance that is a sure sign he (or she) will not be a good match in the long run. Because appearances don’t last, any “commitment” based on such shallow values probably won’t either. And if you are more impressed with looks than character you should rethink your priorities. A person with a good character will prioritize character as a requirement for a potential wife or husband above all else and won’t be so blinded by lust as to ignore the wise opinions of others’ regarding his or her potential partner’s qualities or lack thereof. While it is nice to look nice, it is better to be nice.
Picture originally found here
