'When we married three years ago, the words from Ruth 1.16–17 were read at our wedding. They begin, "Wherever you go, I will go: wherever you live, I will live." We chose that because it's about faithfulness, about making a decision without knowing the costs and what's going to happen.

'Last year, I was pregnant. I had a pretty rough pregnancy. They did blood tests at the hospital and discovered that my liver didn't appear to be functioning well. There was a chemical in my blood that they knew, if it gets to a high enough point, can stop the baby's heart. It felt like a nightmare situation.

'The day before she was born, my blood results were all over the shop. They found a heart arrhythmia. There was a fear that she wasn't going to be born alive. My husband and I sat in the garden outside the hospital and cried. I said, "She has to have a name, even if she isn't born alive." It was obvious that she had to be Ruth. Nothing can separate us from this baby. No situation could mean she wasn't real, wasn't our child, given to us by God. Those verses spoke powerfully to us sitting in that garden.

'I like that Ruth in the Bible is loyal and faithful, but she's also determined. I like her grit. That's something of God. He sticks with us. I like that.

'Our baby Ruth is doing great now. She's growing and thriving and cheeky. She has some of that grit and determination. We see that already when she wants to do things. We felt pretty traumatised by the first few weeks, especially in the pandemic, her being on a ventilator. I'm very, very thankful that the experience ended like this.'

Do you have a story to share? Email mybible@biblesociety.org.uk

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