Supermarket Girl – Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

After the family meeting, James and his wife Sara helped clear up while chatting together about the family issues that their children had raised. When everything was cleared up, the couple got ready to go out for dinner at their favourite restaurant. Even for the dinner, there was a dress code and Sara had been provided with the funds to ensure that she was stunning.

“You look fabulous darling,” James told Sara when she finished getting ready. “That dress looks magnificent on you.”

“Sweetheart, you are the best and that outfit you have on is exactly as I pictured it when I bought it for you,” chimed in Sara.

During the dinner, the couple continued discussing their children’s issues and were pleased by the solutions that were agreed upon at the family meeting for everyone. Ruth had told the family meeting that she was lonely. This came as a shocker to everyone since Ruth had always denied being lonely when questioned about it by her father. She explained that out of the blue, she started feeling the need to have someone to share her life with. This happened when she started praying and fasting.

When her Dad heard this, he questioned her about the praying and fasting to understand whether she was experiencing difficulties in her life. She explained that she started because of financial strain. She explained that she had seen her prayers being answered and this encouraged her to make prayer a permanent feature in her life. She had stopped fasting but she was on a diet.

Her Dad applauded her for introducing daily prayers in her routine and encouraged her to continue with it. He explained that the only solution to the loneliness Ruth felt was continued prayer and he encouraged Ruth’s siblings to also pray daily and pray for things they think are impossible to solve.

James explained to the children that God does not act according to what we think. God sees the full picture of a person’s life from the beginning to eternity. We existed before we were born into this world so the form we take in this world is temporary.

Jeremiah 1:5 –  5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;  I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

The Good News that is preached in the Christian faith is that eternal life is real and possible for those who believe and accept Jesus as their saviour. If you have eternal life, you have plenty of time. When you pray earnestly God starts to work on you first from the inside.

James told Ruth that as she prayed, she should not be anxious but she should surrender the feeling of loneliness to God in exchange for His peace which surpasses all understanding.

Philippians 4:6-7 – 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

James encouraged Ruth to understand that she is not alone and she should be free to visit her parents and siblings as often as she needed to. He also promised that he and Ruth’s mother would make sure to visit her more often. Ruth’s siblings all undertook to support their sister by praying for her and calling her often.