Accepting Grace

Chapter 4

After dinner Grace lay in Gabby's room on an air mattress that Adam had blown up for her. She lay on the mattress remembering her family and wondering where she was going to go the next day. And even though she had just met them Grace hoped she could stay with Adam and Bethany.

Knock, knock. "Can I come in?" Bethany asked. Then proceeded to come in without Grace's reply. Which was probably a good thing as Grace didn't feel like talking.

"Hey honey, why don't you come downstairs? We're going to start Frozen..."

Grace shook her head and rolled over to face the wall.

"Okay then," Bethany sighed. "We'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Grace listened until the soft padding of Bethany's steps faded away. Then she sat up with her back against the wall and put her head in her knees beginning to cry again. Bethany and Adam reminded her of her parents.

"Where will I go? Most of my family lived with me..." Grace thought then gasped and said aloud. "My family... Jamie!"

She choked on a sob. "No, no, no, no!" Grace hid her head into her already wet pink pillow-cased pillow. "She- she never got to- no, no, no."

Grace heard footsteps outside the door and through her tears she saw Bethany and Gabby coming back in. She turned away.

"Sorry," Gabby said, then tottered over to Grace and leaped into her and gave the biggest hug possible for a two year old.

Grace turned into the hug and cried on Gabby's shoulder, who promptly turned away. Bethany came over and sat next to Grace, boosting Grace and Gabby up and making them lean on her shoulder.

"I... I just can't. I can't do this. I will never get to see them ever again!" Grace felt better talking but could feel her eyes brimming with tears.

"Do any of them know Jesus as their Savior?" Bethany asked quietly.

"Um... well, my cousin did... I think but I hadn't ever heard about Jesus until she talked about it with me."

"Mmm."

"Why... why would God do this to Jamie? She was his follower or whatnot... why me? Why am I alive?" Grace asked Bethany between shaky breaths.

Music came floating up the stairs. "Na-na-na-heya-na! Na-heya-heya-na-na-heya-heya-na-ya-oooa-na-na-heya-oooa-na!"

"Fwosen!" Gabby squealed running out of the room excitedly.

Grace giggled despite her growing sadness. Bethany smiled then turned to look Grace in the eye. "I'm not actually sure why God would allow that. But I have to trust that he has my best interests at heart. The Bible says, 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. We will never be able to understand how God works but we have to trust him."

Grace was silent. She had to much to think about and not enough time to think about it. "I'm going to go watch Frozen now..." She stood up and left Bethany in the room.

"How could Miss Fulock say such a thing?  'I have to trust God?' How can you trust a God who goes around killing innocent people?" Grace wondered. Then shoved those thoughts aside as she found her way to the living room. There was one seat left by Adam -which- Grace could only assume was for Bethany. Adam looked up and saw Grace standing in the background awkwardly. He smiled at her then got up and pulled at chair from the dinning table a room over. He pulled the chair out and Grace went to go sit in it but before she could Adam sat.

"Um..."  Grace thought. Adam motioned for her to come closer to him. When she did he whispered, "Go sit on the couch. I'll sit here."

Grace awkwardly went and sat on the couch. Then snuggled in to enjoy the movie.