And now, my dear daughter, don’t you worry about a thing; I’ll do all you could want or ask. Everybody in town knows what a courageous woman you are—a real prize! (Ruth 3:11)
Throughout the whole book of Ruth, it is evident that Ruth remained to be humble and focused all her attention on working, and caring for her mother-in-law. She had no interest in building up a reputation whatsoever. So what was is exactly that caused her to become so favored among these people whom she barely knew?
The reason why good people such as Ruth are noticed for their goodness despite the fact that they do not show-off, is that authenticity is detectable. We need to convince others into liking us if our goodness is genuine –they will see it for themselves. When someone is trying to impress or persuade other people into liking them, their inauthenticity shows and they become hard to trust and even harder to like.
However, when a person is simply being fully self-expressive, and their goodness is seen as authentic, they easily draw others in and are loved and admired. If you want people to think well of you, the trick is to stop worrying about your reputation. Just be yourself. You will find that those who notice you and accept you, for who you truly are, actually are the only people you really need in your life.
