By Cheryl Kerr
I was keen to attend the PrimeTime quarterly lunch on Saturday, 27th June to enjoy the company of other members of my church family and to hear a talk by Al Stewart on dealing with disappointments and heartaches – sadly, a topic that we all face at times. And of course there was a delicious meal while having some great conversations with others at my table! It was especially nice was catching up with someone I hadn’t seen in several years.
His talk was based on the book of Ruth. At the end of chapter 1, Naomi had suffered much heartache with the death of her husband and both her sons. When she returned to the Promised Land she wanted to be called “bitter” because life had turned out so badly for her. However, behind the scenes God was working. By the end of the book Naomi was much blessed and God was achieving His eternal purposes through her ‘grandson’, Obed, the ancestor of Jesus.
Al encouraged us to remember that when we experience disappointments and heartaches, it is just ‘chapter 1’ – we don’t know the end of our story. We can be assured that God is working for the good of those who love him, and that our ultimate good is to become more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). Our understanding of what “good” is for ourselves is usually different to what God knows to be best. We need to keep trusting Him and filling our minds with the truth of His Word.
Following the talk, coffee and dessert were served… Robyn Kapp’s yummy sticky date pudding with a delicious caramel sauce – my favourite! I enjoyed further conversations with others, especially enjoying those with people in different congregations who I don’t see regularly.
It was a thoroughly encouraging time, especially with such a helpful talk and Al being so easy to listen to. Special thanks to the organisers and those who prepared the food!
PrimeTime is our community of middle-age to older workers, retirees and seniors. PrimeTime hosts a number of different activities throughout each term. Find out more [link will be correct on live site]