Supermarket Girl – Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

“Hi Josy. How have you been?” Ruth was on the phone with one of her good friend, Josy.

“Ruth! Hi! I was planning on calling you today but you beat me to it. I have been well. When is our lunch?” Josy responded.

“Am not busy this week. Whichever day is good for you is fine with me,” offered Ruth.

“I would actually love for us to meet as soon as possible. Is today too soon?” Queried Josy.

“No! We can meet today. Let us try the new Italian restaurant near my office,” continued Ruth.

At 1230pm, the two friends met up and got a table at the new Italian restaurant. After a few pleasantries and small talk about what was trending on twitter, Josy hang her head down and whispered that she had something important to share with Ruth.

To cut a long story short, Josy told Ruth that she had lost her job. She had been terminated due to a fraudulent transaction that had taken place at the bank she worked in. She was not implicated in the fraud but she had failed to spot it in good time. She admitted that she should have been able to spot the irregular dealings that the fraudsters engaged in but she never imagined her colleagues would ever engage in such acts.

Ruth was shocked when Josy narrated to her the details of what had actually transpired and the amount that was stolen from the bank. Josy said she was hunting for another job and had attended several interviews. She was hopeful that she would be taken on by another bank because her previous employer had at least given her a letter confirming that she was not a suspect in the fraud.

She explained to Ruth that she had learned a hard lesson from the loss of her job. She did not think it was fair that she was terminated only because she was not watchful. When the events had started to unfold, she had entered into a prayer and fasting session to beseech God to save her. Despite her prayers and pleas to God, she still lost her job. She was nevertheless thankful that the truth of her failure was clear and she was not implicated in the fraud. She thanked God that she was not facing criminal charges against her like her other colleagues.

When Ruth heard Josy’s story, she told Josy about her own prayer and fasting session seeking God for financial breakthrough. She thanked Josy for showing her that even if God does not answer your prayers in the manner you were seeking or hoping for, you could still find something to be thankful to Him for. She recalled how King David had prayed for forgiveness and for the life of his son when God punished him for murder and adultery and when his son’s life was still snuffed out, King David did not lose his faith. Josy also recalled how Job held onto his faith despite the unbearable suffering that he had to endure.

The friends agreed that in fact, prayers are answered in various ways by God and it is possible for things to get worse before they get better. If you hold steadfastly to your faith and refuse to give up on God, a turn around will surely come and everything you have lost will be restored. For King David, God restored his son in the person of King Solomon who succeeded him and who God blessed with great wisdom and peace.

2 Samuel 12:24 – Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba; he went and slept with her. She gave birth to a son and named him Solomon. The Lord loved him,

For Job, God restored everything he had lost in double portion.

Job 42:12 -17 – 12 So the Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, his second Keziah, and his third Keren-happuch. 15 No women as beautiful as Job’s daughters could be found in all the land, and their father granted them an inheritance with their brothers. 16 Job lived 140 years after this and saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 Then Job died, old and full of days.