A NOTE ON THE COUNTER

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I waited and waited and waited for God.
    

At last he looked; finally he listened.


He lifted me out of the ditch,
pulled me from deep mud.


He stood me up on a solid rock 
to make sure I wouldn’t slip.


He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,


a praise-song to our God.


More and more people are seeing this:


they enter the mystery,
 abandoning themselves to God.

Psalm 40:1-3

The Message

As you read these words I am flying high above the world to a place far away. An exotic place of tropical flowers and spiced foods and a people whose skin is browned by endless sun.

For hours and hours I’ll be restlessly wiggling in the inches I’m allotted, trying to get comfortable, trying not to look at my watch, trying to focus on the pictures of the place I’m going rather than place I’m tied to.

And then finally I’ll get there.

All the waiting will be worth it. I’ll step into a world I’ve never known. Into a beauty I’ve only imagined. I’ll breathe deep of scents that cannot be bottled or sold or remembered. And I’ll relish every moment.

And my dear girls, that’s just the tiniest imperfect picture of what we live every day.

All week I’ve read your notes to me; the comments, the emails and messages. I’ve sensed your wiggling. Your frustration that the trip seems confining, uncomfortable, and endlessly long.

You want to get there. Now.

I’ve heard from the woman who has never known the love of a father. And now her husband seems about to abandon her. In her world, when the going gets tough, men run away. So how can she possibly grasp the love of a Father that will never let go?

How can she feel loved by God?

And I’ve heard the cry of the woman who wakes up every morning with a crushing weight of worry on her chest. She’s married to a good and godly man who cannot make it go away no matter how hard he tries.

Every day she wonders, What’s wrong with me?

And so many feeling stuck, disappointed that all those dreams haven’t happened. The promise of the Prince who was supposed to sweep them off their feet if only they’d stay faithful and wait for him…

Where is he? Why is it taking so long? 

Some women are all alone. Others wish they were.

And then there’s the one whose story I understand too well. The one who has all she ever wanted and wakes up dreading her days.

Because all we’ve ever wanted is never enough.

And as I fly to Indonesia with Phil I feel as if I’m the mom leaving a note on the counter for her kids.

We’ll be going to share our stories and God’s Word with a group of pastors who, just like you, are longing for more.  Men and women who have families and needs and money troubles and relational strains and pressures and never enough time to do it all. They speak a different language but something tells me we all need the same words.

And while we are away I’ll be writing home to all my daughters because the truth is I think the Father has tucked you so close to my heart that I think and pray and jot notes to you all the time.

As I was making lists and running errands and getting ready to go on this trip to the other side of the world, it dawned on me that most of us go into the adventure of marriage with hardly a thought to what we need to pack.

And so while I’m away I’m going to send home some quick postcard sized notes in this part of the blog we call Glimpses about four things that need to go into your suitcase. These are four things I didn’t pack before I married Phil. Because I had no idea I’d need them… because, after all, I thought I was marrying my Prince Charming and he would be the one to meet all my needs.

Of course he would. He was Phil Comer. Godly and good, strong yet tender-hearted, so totally focused on me that he had swept me off my feet and offered to carry me tirelessly all through life.

Why bother with preparations? He was my dream come true, all I’d ever need…

He was my idol.

It is my hope that these four items will bring you to a place where waiting doesn’t seem so… endless… and uncomfortable.

A place of rest.

From my heart,

Diane