I met Dianne over two years ago. She lived three doors down from me. One day she brought me a flat of flowers–a gift from Jesus on a difficult day in France.
She moved away over a year ago to another part of France, so I hadn’t heard from her in a long time. A few days ago she called me. “I have something to tell you,” she said.
I’d been struggling with some “ish” from the past. (And before I go on, I must say I am forever indebted to my very pregnant friend Jen who turned me on to this word. I love ish far more than issues. Thanks, Jen!) I’ve always been one of those “need to know” folks. Maybe I should’ve been an investigative reporter. So imagine my surprise when my friend Dianne said these words to me, right when I was smack dab in the middle of grieving my ish.
“When God takes something away from you, it’s gone,” she said. “Allow Him to take it all. Leave it behind and go on.”
She felt the word had to do with us leaving France, and on many levels it does. But isn’t it cool how God pulls double-entendres on you? That a word He gives you touches many levels? The prophecies of Jesus come to mind here. They applied to the now and the not yet. And sometimes they provided framework for the past. Dianne’s words were that for me–a reminder to let go of painful memories way back when, and a gentle nudge to leave France well, letting Jesus take the worry.
She said a few other wonderful words, a gift of grace in the midst of a trying time. “Go and be what you couldn’t be here,” she said. “Sit very close to Jesus’ feet so you can hear all His whispers.”
Isn’t it great when God interrupts your day with a Dianne? To tell you words you needed to hear? It’s the most lovely part of following Jesus, how He intersects our lives with whimsy and surprise.
Dianne, if you’re out there reading this. Thank you. Merci. You were Jesus to me.
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